Kitsune Otome
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Naruko Uzumaki is thrown into a world she had never dreamed of...and given the opportunity many would kill for. The chance to become an Otome. In order to find a way home, she agrees and finds herself a student once again. However not everything in this world is as pleasant as she hoped...there's a conspiracy to bring back a power left alone, and she's right in the middle of it.
1. Chapter 1

Two forces clashed in the Valley of the End.

Loyalty against Treason. Wind against Lightning. Hope against the Darkness.

"RASENGAN!"

"CHIDORI!"

Two powers, that of demons and humans clashed in a mighty blast that tore apart dimensions.

One of the combatants would be thrown into a new world where their power would grow even stronger. The other would leave their home to become the worst traitor in recent years.

Naruko Uzumaki was in for a hell of a ride.

* * *

"Ow...where am I?" she asked.

It wasn't Konoha, or anywhere near it. Her nose told her that much. The air was much too dirty to be home.

"You're in Garderobe Academy for Otome," said a woman nearby.

"Where?"

"Be careful. You had some nasty wounds on your chest, and you suffered from a very long fall. It's fortunate that the Corals were practicing with their robes today."

Naruko blinked, her sapphire blue eyes slightly unfocused. Once she rubbed them, things became clearer.

Definitely not home, she decided. It was too advanced for home.

That was when she noticed something more important.

"What happened to my clothes?"

"They were so damaged we had to throw them out," said the woman. She had short brown hair and had the same air that Tsunade had. She was most likely a healer of some sort.

Naruko couldn't help her disappointed face. That was her favorite jumpsuit!

"In any case, what in the world were you doing to get all those injuries?"

"I was trying to keep a friend from doing something monumentally stupid. Instead the jerk tried to kill me and I ended up here."

"What is your country of origin?"

"I'm from the Land of Fire, Genin Naruko Uzumaki of Konoha, at your service ma'am!"

"Where?"

Naruko hung her head.

"I'm nowhere near home, am I?" she said.

"Afraid not. Somehow I get the feeling you're not even from this planet either."

"If the level of your tech-no-lo-gy is anything to go by, then definitely not."

"Well maybe the Headmistress can help you."

* * *

Naruko was given a spare outfit, but it wasn't like what many of the other girls outside were wearing.

"So, you are the girl who fell from the sky."

"Uzumaki Naruko, genin of Konohagakure at your service!"

"Konohagakure? Genin?"

"Damn. I was really hoping I was on the same world."

"Speaking of which, do you know what this is?"

She held up a bright red gemstone that looked almost like a ruby.

"No idea."

"It was found in your pocket," said Headmistress Natsuki.

"But I don't own anything near that nice looking!"

"How strange. According to the records on the Gem, you are the master of this particular Meister Gem, which before now never existed. It's a rare type, which allows you to Materialize a Robe without a Master."

"Meister Gem? Robes? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"How about a deal then? You attend the Academy as a new student until we figure out what is going on, and until then you can work off tuition in the city," said Natsuki.

"I'm not afraid of hard work!" said Naruko.

"That's good, because starting tomorrow you will be on the path of the Otome. Once we get you settled with the basics, you'll join the other Corals in class. By the way, what is your age?"

"Almost fourteen. My birthday is October 10th."

"You can fill out the forms while we get you fitted," said Natsuki.

* * *

Natsuki looked at the innocent looking Meister Gem on the desk. Things had gotten a lot more complicated with this girl around. Not only had she appeared with grievous wounds and a Gem, but she wasn't even from this planet!

Unfortunately they couldn't send her out until they figured out why this had happened. Or why someone not of their world had a Rare Meister gem that allowed a robe to be materialized without a master's approval.

Too bad they didn't have scholarships...perhaps she could convince Princess Mashiro to take on this case. She was the 'rightful' heir to the Windbloom kingdom, and they didn't have an Otome yet.

Grabbing a pen and putting it to paper, Natsuki proceeded to write to the Princess about taking this girl under her sponsorship.

If she had known what a headache Naruko would be later, she might have reconsidered the idea of allowing her to become a Coral.

* * *

"So these nano-things allow you to create weapons out of nothing?" asked Naruko. She was back in that bed and laying down. She had a long, thick needle in her left arm putting nanomachines into her bloodstream.

"Nanomachines," she corrected.

"So what else can they do?"

"They increase your strength, heal you faster, and allow you materialize your Robe through the Gem. However, if you ever have relations with a man, they break down and you can never be an Otome again," she replied.

"Why?"

"Because that's how the system works. You can retire eventually, and have a family then."

"So how does this world work?" asked Naruko.

Might as well make a report once she found a way to send it home... she nearly bolted upright.

The Toads! She could send it through them!

An hour later she was let out of that room and she went to the library. Once the machines settled down she could try summoning, but until then, she planned to read.

She almost ran into a problem until she realized the book she had picked up was for those with a few years of schooling under their belt. Once she found something more her speed (history, of all things) she was soon devouring the books.

She actually loved reading, but she could never afford books. She eventually brought out some clones (having to figure out the mental aspect completely by accident one night) and the number of books around her grew in proportion to the number of clones out.

* * *

By the time she had moved onto recent history, her clones had dispersed.

She also had a monumental headache and decided to take a break. She wandered into the wooded area and stretched a bit. The sun felt so nice on her skin.

It was so nice out she started to hum, but before long it turned into words. She had heard it once from someone a long time ago, but she couldn't remember who. Only that they had the same eyes and hair color she did.

"_Who are those little girls in pain_

_Just trapped in castle of dark side of moon_

_Twelve of them shining bright in vain_

_Like flower that blossom just once in year_

_They're dancing in the shadow like whispers of love_

_Just dreaming a place where they are free as dove_

_They've never been allowed to love in this cursed cage_

_It' s only the fairy tale they believe_

_They're dancing in the shadow like whispers of love_

_Just dreaming a place where they are free as dove_

_They've never been allowed to love in this cursed cage"_

(This is the song from the _Mai-Hime _series that Alyssa sings. The song is called "It's Only A Fairy Tale.")

"_You're quite good."_

"Who's there?" demanded Naruko.

She paled when a ghostly girl with sunshine bright yellow hair and deep blue eyes appeared. Naruko hated ghosts.

"_Don't be afraid. You're the only one who can see me right now,"_ said the girl.

"Who are you?"

"_My name is Alyssa Searrs. I am the one who gave you that golden hair when you were born. Your father was one of my descendants, the one who stayed behind when everyone else left."_

"Why can I see you?"

"_That Gem that they found belongs to me. I put it in your pocket so that you would be safe until it was time to return. You have to train here and get stronger so that you can defeat that fool who sent you here."_

"You mean Sasuke? And why here?"

"_Because your cousin, Arika, will need your help very soon. She may not know of her heritage, but she will need your guidance in order to stop Nagi again. Plus I need you to talk to Miyu for me, since she can't see ghosts like me."_

Naruko paused, before her next question came to mind.

"Are you the reason I can understand them and read their language? Because it looked like scribbles to me for a moment."

"_I had help from your Demonic tenant. You will have enough trouble surviving in this new world without being unable to read and speak the local tongue. Besides, this way I can prepare my strongest descendant for what is to come later."_

"Just out of curiosity, will anyone else be able to see me talk to you?"

"_No, a minor genjutsu comes up whenever we talk, so don't worry about that. Once you leave here for home, a small portion of the Gem will remain even if you do find a lover. Consider it my gift to you as an apology for dragging you across worlds."_

Naruko spent two hours talking to Alyssa, unaware that she had entered someone's radar once she made contact.

* * *

"You're in luck, Naruko. Princess Mashiro has agreed to sponsor you," said Natsuki.

"Who?"

"The ruler of this country. She takes the throne as Queen next year."

"Oh."

Naruko was given a run-down on where everything was, and how the system worked. She would be a Coral for at least a year, and depending on her grades she might become a Pearl by the next year because of age.

She was given a room with Coral 1, Nina Wang.

"So you're the girl who fell into our Academy."

"Naruko Uzumaki at your service!" said Naruko with a mock salute.

"Just don't hold me back in our paired spars," said Nina.

She had the bad luck of being paired with the new girl.

* * *

"Coral 190! What sort of form is that supposed to be?" barked Miss Maria.

"Eh? But this is the form I always use when fighting," said Naruko.

Kakashi always complained about her taijutsu form, but never bothered to correct it. It was always Sakura this, and Sasuke that. He rarely paid her any attention, so why should she pay him any mind outside of learning new jutsu? Which basically meant never.

The teacher made a tsk-ing noise, and Naruko later found herself given a very thorough crash course on what they called martial arts...and what she immediately recognized as taijutsu.

She ended up having to take remedial lessons on basic moves and through the magic of shadow clones, was quickly up to par with the other girls.

Though it was still funny when she saw Nina's look after she picked up the bed one handed and swept the floor without pausing. Apparently she had surprised everyone with her 'herculean' strength and brawler fighting style, which was quickly disappearing.

* * *

"NA-RU-KO! What have I told you! We don't have ramen on the school menu!" screamed Nina.

Once again, Naruko had made a massive batch of ramen noodles, though the only reason Nina knew this was because she could see where the broth had been before Naruko got to it. There was enough left for ten bowls, and that was pushing it.

The pot she had used was big enough for fifty, easily.

Nina was stretching the blonde's cheeks in rage, as once again, Naruko had used kitchen duty to make ramen, despite the fact it was almost never on the menu.

"Nina-chan...that almost hurts!" said Naruko.

Naruko had been in Garderobe for nearly six months, and she was pretty much famous among the other Otome.

Her massive strength (without her Robe, which was shocking), her odd attacks (she had once used the Rasengan to beat Nina), her massive appetite...and the most disturbing of all, her abnormally high pain tolerance.

Naruko had once broken her arm, and yet continued to fight. They only found out about the fact she had broken her right arm against Nina when the girl had commented on hearing something break. And then she baffled everyone by getting up and carrying a ton of books the next morning without even a sign of her arm having been injured.

None of them knew about the Kyuubi inside her, and she planned to keep it that way as long as possible.

Nina's torment of the blond was nothing compared to what her old teammate Sakura used to do for asking a simple question she should have already known the answer to if not for biased teachers.

The fact was that when Naruko learned the memory trick to the clones, she had sent over a hundred of them to reread the books in the Academy library, which wasn't exactly locked at night being so close to the Hokage tower and only having the basics inside. All the real jutsu were in the _main_ library which was close to the ANBU headquarters, and it had a better guard.

Which was why she had devoured every book she could get her hands on, and damn the migraine she had gotten once she had them pop.

The librarian in charge had cussed up quite a storm when she had to clean up the books Naruko's clones had left lying around the place.

At least she wasn't completely stupid anymore, having caught up on her studies even though she had recently graduated.

Iruka, once she mentioned who had broken into the Academy library, had told her how proud he was that she had taken initiative...and then warned her to avoid the librarian because she had sworn vengeance on the culprit who left the mess.

Still, Naruko's high pain tolerance had lead to a source of amusement whenever she did something wrong, as Nina was often the one chosen to be the girl's "minder" for lack of a better term.

Nina had originally been shocked when Naruko had asked why she apologized for taking out her frustration on the blond after she had drooled on Nina's homework by mistake which lead to Nina beating the girl up without her robes.

Finding out your roommate used to be systematically beaten by her own team had been a nasty shock. To be fair, Nina was more like a nicer version of Sakura, albeit one who didn't take out her own frustrations on the girl without good cause.

Like now for instance.

* * *

Naruko found herself bound and hung upside down from the first high tree Nina could find. Considering the girl never complained and thought it all in good fun (once again, this was a less painful punishment compared to what Sakura used to put her through) the teachers never did anything but watch.

Naruko was unaware that should she ever complain about the treatment, Nina would get into serious trouble. Despite all the relatively minor (by Naruko's standards) beatings Nina gave her, she still considered the raven haired girl her best friend.

A fact that was never lost on Nina, who often went out of her way to help Naruko with her homework as the girl needed it.

At least Jiraiya sent her jutsu scrolls so she wouldn't be completely behind her friends back home.


	2. Chapter 2

Nina's biggest clue that Naruko had been abused came during her birthday.

It wasn't until after the surprise party that Nina took her roommate aside and asked her a very pointed question.

"Naruko, was that really the first time you've ever celebrated your birthday?" she asked.

Naruko ducked under her covers, refusing to come out. Nina poked her side with annoyance.

"You don't have to look me in the eyes, but I can still hear you," said Nina.

"Yes... No one ever cared enough to celebrate it with me before. I thought last year it might have been different, since I was on a team, but no one bothered to even wish me a happy birthday...not even once," she mumbled through the covers.

To be fair, her friends didn't know _when_ her birthday was...those she associated with the most anyway. Shikamaru had considered looking it up, but he couldn't find her files anywhere.

Nina looked aghast that Naruko had never associated her birthday with anything good. She hugged the blond under the covers tightly, and didn't mind Naruko curling up next to her.

Nina had since started to collect countless evidence that Naruko was being neglected and systematically abused.

First was the fact she didn't react very well to gentle contact. She was more accustomed to full on contact associated with fighting. Seeing the way she tensed slightly when Ertsy hugged her for helping out with the chores was a big clue to that.

So was the description of her female teammate Haruno Sakura, who if Nina ever met the girl would be on the short end of a long and very painful lecture on how you are supposed to treat friends. Next to a beat down of this 'Uchiha Sasuke', who had a rather bad attitude towards women that made Nina's blood boil. In his defense, most of the girls he associated with were fan girls, but the description of how he put down Sakura when she got too clingy was inexcusable.

Nina was quick to bring these points up with the dorm matron, Miss Maria. Considering Nina was actually a better female role model for Naruko than the only other female she used to associate with she ended up giving the girl etiquette lessons and a very painful lecture on table manners.

Of course that was nothing compared to what happened when Nao decided to take Naruko with her on their free day outside of town.

* * *

"So why are we going to a bar?" asked Naruko. She lived in the red lights district...she could handle a grungy bar or two.

"To meet my contacts," said Nao. She liked Naruko, because she didn't ask too many questions outside of schoolwork.

"So...you're a spy and infiltration specialist?" asked Naruko.

"Well...not so much a spy since I am a noteworthy Otome, but I do run information rings," said Nao.

"Why didn't you just say as much before? So why did you bring me?" asked Naruko, becoming more at ease with Nao.

"As backup. You're the strongest girl in the Academy without your robes on," said Nao.

"Okay! Just so we're clear, if I get into a drinking contest don't mention my age. It's rather embarrassing for some people that a fifteen year old can out drink grown men," said Naruko with an evil grin.

"Let me have a cut of your take and I'll help you hide the fact you were out drinking," said Nao immediately.

"Deal," said Naruko, and they shook on it.

Nao walked into a rather seedy bar, and Naruko looked at the drinks menu. Considering the bar was owned by one of Nao's gang, he didn't comment on the fact Naruko barely looked sixteen.

Once she had her order, she challenged the others wearing Nao's striped shirt to a drinking contest. Nao waved them off, so they went to it. By the time they left the bar, Naruko was the only one left standing, though she was a bit giggly. Considering she had outmatched five grown men, all heavy drinkers, with some rather strong drinks, she had their respect and approval.

Nao handed her some plants that would disguise the smell of alcohol and planned to get her measurements later. As far as she was concerned, Naruko was part of the gang.

Naruko just enjoyed having an 'older sister' who would help her out when she needed it.

* * *

"I'm so bored..." said Naruko. She had read every book in the library (shadow clones) and all her homework was caught up. It had taken Nina and Nao three weeks tutoring Naruko to figure out why she had such trouble with schoolwork.

She had too many thoughts in her head, and since she believed school to be boring outside of practical applications such as combat practice she had trouble focusing.

Nao found bribery to work very well in keeping Naruko's attention. As it was, Naruko was in the ninth spot in the Corals.

Nina rolled her eyes.

"Go bother Big Sister Nao then," said Nina.

"Can't, she left to see her informants an hour ago," said Naruko.

"Go practice your jutsu then," said Nina. She was aware of Naruko's practice in shinobi arts, as the blond didn't hide anything from the girl she considered her best friend.

"Jiraiya hasn't sent anything, and learning Fuinjutsu can be dead boring when you can't understand half of it," deadpanned Naruko.

"What about a visit to the Toads?" said Nina, looking at her roommate.

"I still don't know if I can return back," admitted Naruko.

Nina closed her book, she was probably going to regret this...

"I leave to visit Artai tomorrow...I'll ask Ms. Maria if you can join me if you can't find anything to entertain yourself for a few days."

Naruko hugged her tightly.

"Thanks Nina-nee-chan!" said Naruko.

Nina blushed. She was used to Naruko calling her nee-chan after she explained the sister system in the Academy. Naruko was a like a puppy, one who had been beaten often but was always looking for someone to pet them anyway. She patted the girl on the head like she would a dog.

Though Naruko would deny it, Nina knew that a kind word or a pat on the head in just the right spot would make the girl almost literally purr like a kitten. Though according to Naruko she had sworn off all cats after several bad experiences with one named Tora who scratched the hell out of her.

She barely got along with the Princess' cat Mikoto, and that because they had a shared love of ramen.

* * *

Nina held onto Naruko's pigtail firmly as they boarded the ship, as the girl would likely wander off and get lost.

Naruko had been cleared to join Nina as she caused more trouble when she was bored than she did when she was confused. The last time she got bored, she had to clean the hall of the predecessor twice because of a rather amusing prank she played on the Headmistress. Once the older Meister had left, she had it cleaned using shadow clones, but kept a clone around to make it seem like she was still doing her punishment.

None of the other teachers could catch her at it, though if pressed Nina and possibly Nao could.

Nao seemed to treat Naruko more like a younger sister than she was supposed to. Considering Naruko was an orphan, it wouldn't be unusual if Nao were to adopt her as a younger sister once she gained her Meister Gem.

Naruko watched the scenery go by for all of half an hour before she saw a familiar face. One she hadn't seen in quite some time.

Alyssa.

She felt the curtain rise around them as she wandered over to the ghost of her ancestor.

"_Having fun Naruko-chan? I hope you've enjoyed this brief respite,"_ said Alyssa.

"Is something going to happen?"

"_Arika is coming, and with her will come the sound of a war. The Otome will be called on to end the false Maidens very soon. MIYU will be coming as well, so I'll have to become more active. The Blue Sky Sapphire will be found again."_

"So that's a yes. What should I do?"

"_You have to help Arika survive through this. Once you make your relationship to her known to Natsuki, chances are you'll be paired with her until this mess is cleared up."_

"How do I prove to her that I'm not joking? I'm known for being a prankster after all," said Naruko.

"_I'll coach you through what to say. You won't be able to look at me, but you'll hear my voice from the seal you carry since birth."_

"And what of the Princess that is soon to become Queen?"

"_Mashiro is not the Princess. Nina is, though she is unaware of this. However Nina is too strongly tied to Artai to act as regent. Also, the Meister Gem that vanished during the attack on the castle was placed by MIYU with the former Otome's daughter...Arika. If we pull this off we might be able to bridge the gaps left by technology and allow you to take your friends home and back."_

"I can reverse summon back and forth from this world?"

"_It's a good thing you never tried before the path was open...you would have been stuck in the summons realm until you were to be called back."_

"I was afraid that was the case... In any event, can't you help me out here? I've been bored out of my mind since I finished the library!"

Alyssa laughed openly.

"_The answer lies in Artai. There is a place where a Meister Gem sleeps that is full of books. I can leave the information on how to find it, but you mustn't disturb the dragon that still sleeps inside. I don't want the being that was sent away to learn that it was breached so early."_

Naruko beamed. Thank you!"

"_It would also help Nina later. Nagi will seek to use her against the Otome and those who will be your allies. Once you come into possession of the Fox Fire Agate, you can activate the Meister Gem that sleeps and give the other to Nina. She can't take the corrupt Gem if she is already contracted to a lost one first."_

"When do I come into possession of this Gem?"

"_Soon. I believe Natsuki is planning to have you graduate early, but you'll have to hide the fact you already have a Meister Gem from everyone. Considering your transformation jutsu, that shouldn't be difficult at all."_

Naruko grinned, then spotted Nina with two drinks.

"Can you talk to me more often?"

"_I'll come back when you finally meet MIYU."_

"There you are Naruko! Having fun yet?" asked Nina.

"You bet! Hey, while you talk to your step dad do you mind if I explore a little?"

"Going to Big Sister Nao's bar again?" asked Nina with an eyebrow raised.

"Yup."

"You're incorrigible. If Miss Maria asks, you were with me the whole time," deadpanned Nina.

"Deal. I want to get some thing new to read anyway," said Naruko.

* * *

Naruko and Nina split off as soon as they were in the city. Nina knew where the bar that Nao partially owned was, so she would go find Naruko in a few days once she was done visiting her step father. If anyone could handle themselves without using their robes, it was Naruko Uzumaki.

It was another reason why Naruko called Nina sister. She acknowledged that Naruko could stand on her own two feet when she needed to, unlike other civilians.

* * *

Naruko immediately headed deep into the icy terrain to the fortress Alyssa mentioned. It took quite a few ninja skills, but she eventually found the room with the books.

Thank Inari for sealing scrolls!

She would have opened the door, but Alyssa appeared and shook her head. So that was where the dragon slept? She looked around and finally found where the lost Meister Gem was, and put it up in her bag.

She left before the monster she sensed nearby could hone in on her location.

A few hours later she made it back to the city and hit the first three bookstores she found. She headed straight to Nao's bar and waited.

Nina showed up around ten to take her to a hotel so she could show Naruko Artai properly instead of the slums. Hearing Naruko had shared some of her hard earned cash (she had a few jobs in Windbloom thanks to shadow clones) with several orphans, Nina shook her head in amusement.

* * *

Nina and Naruko were heading back to Windbloom, and because of a drunken idiot in the bar, Naruko had to put on her uniform. Originally she wore the striped outfit Nao gave her, because it was less embarrassing in her opinion. She was just too used to hiding the fact she was a girl.

Naruko was about to take another sip of her drink when she noticed something in the distance.

There was a body with auburn red hair and goggles. The figure wore a sensible if worn cloak and was clearly out of water.

Naruko frowned. Whoever that was clearly hadn't packed for an extended journey in the desert.

Seeing Nina preoccupied she sent out a silent shadow clone (she had become quite good at those) to retrieve them.

It was a girl.

"Naruko, what...who is that?" asked Nina.

"Some poor fool who didn't pack appropriately for a trip through the desert. Could you get a glass of ice water?" asked Naruko.

Nina nodded and went to retrieve the drink. If the captain asked about the unexpected passenger she would pay for it.

The girl, who had an odd necklace that settled over Naruko with a deep feeling of trouble later, thanked her rescuer profusely.

"I'm Naruko Uzumaki. This is Nina Wang," said Naruko.

"Arika. Thanks for saving me!" she said with a bow.

"Where are you from Arika?" asked Nina. For some reason she reminded her strongly of Naruko.

"A small village. I've lived with my grandmother, but she died recently. She told me my mother was from Windbloom," said Arika.

Nina twitched. Definitely like Naruko with that voice.

"Let me guess...your mom was an Otome?" asked Naruko.

Arika nodded.

"How did you know?"

"Because those two dots in your necklace look far too much like Meister Gems," said Naruko flatly. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the reason why she knew.

Nina blinked.

"Can I see this necklace?"

Arika lifted it up, and Nina looked at closer.

"They do look exactly like Gems. Maybe the Headmistress would know who they belonged to," said Nina.

"You do realize we'll have to take her to see Natsuki-dono, don't you? She might cause trouble otherwise."

"Like you didn't last week?" snorted Nina.

"Oi, I didn't see you among those who weren't laughing at the prank I pulled," said Naruko with a drawl.

Arika giggled.

"You two are like sisters," she said.

"In Garderobe, we're encouraged to think of our fellow Otome as our sisters. Besides, I'm her roommate," said Naruko.

"Unfortunately," said Nina, though it was clear she didn't mean that.

"Oh-ho! Perhaps I should exploit the number one Coral's one true weakness!"

"Do it and I'll pour wasabi into the next batch of ramen you make," deadpanned Nina.

"Nina-chan's mean!" whined Naruko. Arika laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

Nina, Naruko and Arika walked off the ship (Naruko paid Arika's ticket just in case) and Naruko ended up being the minder for Arika.

Nina found this situation hilarious and ironic.

As they started heading back to Garderobe, Naruko's sense of danger went into overdrive.

Then she saw a familiar face and winced.

"Dammit...not again..." she said with a hand to her face.

"What?" asked Nina.

"She got loose again," complained Naruko.

Nina followed her pointing and blinked.

"Isn't that..."

"Yes. Inari she is such a damn pest sometimes..." said Naruko.

"Who are you talking about?" asked Arika.

"Princess Mashiro," deadpanned Naruko. She immediately went to check on the girl, seeing as how it was thanks to her that she was able to attend Garderobe.

"Inari dammit Mashiro, next time think first!" shouted Naruko.

Mashiro blinked.

"You're Coral Naruko aren't you?" she asked.

"I am. Why did you think I recognized you on sight?" deadpanned Naruko.

Naruko absently grabbed Arika's long braid to keep her nearby. They were already in trouble as it was. Suddenly the back of her neck went up. There was something bad coming.

"Shit! Nina, cover Arika!" said Naruko, as she went to protect Mashiro.

Nina blinked but immediately grabbed Arika and covered her...just as an explosion happened.

"What's going on?" yelled Mashiro.

"We're under attack!" said Naruko flatly.

Up on the hill was a monstrous creature, one she had only read about before.

A Slave.

"Shit...someone's nearby and he's got a Slave to boot! We need help and fast," said Naruko.

"I can authorize one of your robes, but not both!" said Mashiro.

"Go with Nina then. I've been meaning to try this for a while anyway, besides I don't exactly need my robes to be active in order to fight," said Naruko.

She had noted that for some reason, the nanomachines reacted oddly to chakra.

She got called in four times by the headmistress because she was giving partial readings off the machines and before she finally demonstrated her ability to use chakra.

Eventually they managed to filter out that odd alert from the computer, which was the only reason she didn't go mad from boredom a long time ago.

Nina materialized her robe, and Naruko decided to put her theory to the test.

She brushed her Coral Gem with her left hand, which was covered in chakra.

"Materialize!" she said.

At first nothing happened, then the nanomachines went into overdrive.

To the shock of Mashiro and Nina, she was able to bring out her robes without authorization first! Only the color was...off...to say the least.

"I wasn't expecting it to actually _work_..." said Naruko.

In any case she had a job to do...and as a Kunoichi her duty was to the Princess first.

"Nina, cover Mashiro and Arika. I'll deal with big and ugly," said Naruko.

"Right!"

The Slave slammed into the ground as Naruko punched it, her muscles reinforced with chakra. She felt more alive now than she had in months. This was what she was born to do. Fight the monsters off and protect her liege-lord.

Then a second Slave appeared and Nina cried out.

Naruko destroyed the first Slave with a Rasengan to the face, it's head exploding from her attack.

She was about to attack the second one when she blinked.

Why was that plane rising in the air, and why the hell was Mashiro on it in the first place?!

She flew over to the plane and grabbed the Princess just in case. Suddenly whatever kept the plane in the air shut off without warning, and they started to fall.

Nina grabbed Arika, who grabbed Mashiro's hand. Naruko was struggling to keep all three in the air, or at least soften the landing.

The necklace around Arika's neck started glowing, and Naruko had a hunch _why_ that was.

Arika naturally had a predisposition towards nanomachines, what with being the daughter of an Otome. Plus she was maintaining physical contact with someone who had the opposite Gem of a Coral, which Nina was, namely Mashiro's ring.

Putting those two factors together and you had a temporary activation of the Meister Gems Arika carried.

Suddenly it turned off, like a switch that had been flipped, and Naruko had to struggle to keep them in the air.

"Akane-nee-sama!" cried Nina.

Naruko blinked. Sure enough, Pearl Akane had managed to steady them.

"I wasn't aware you had activated your robes too Naruko-chan," said Akane.

"I didn't. This was an experiment that worked out for the best...good thing too, because there was a second Slave," said Naruko.

Arika was so in awe of the Otome that she immediately wanted to become one. Naruko snorted in amusement. This scene was far too familiar to her...oh, yes she remembered now.

It was something like this that had put her on the path to becoming a shinobi in the first place.

* * *

Natsuki had a migraine. And she fully blamed Naruko for it.

Uzumaki Naruko had somehow managed to forcefully activate her robes without authorization...something that should be impossible for a Coral to do. Fortunately Nina's robes had been turned off, so she lied and said that Mashiro had chosen to activate Naruko's instead, since she sponsored the girl.

Which was why she had Naruko in her office at the moment.

"So let me get this straight. Not only can you talk to this ghost, but she is the one who sent you here and left you a Gem that needs no master?"

"She says I would overload the other Gems," shrugged Naruko.

Which was entirely possible. Almost immediately after she turned off her robes, her Coral Gem sparked dangerously and Naruko had barely been able to remove it from her ear before it exploded.

"What is this ghost called?"

"Alyssa Searrs. Apparently she was around when the planet was first colonized, but some of her descendants had stayed behind...namely me."

"And Arika?" said Natsuki.

"Distant cousin."

"Unfortunately thanks to the damage done to the castle, Mashiro is unwilling to sponsor her...neither is any other country since she's not one of theirs. Any suggestions to how we can solve this mess you've dumped on our laps?" asked Natsuki with a glare.

"Arika is the biological daughter of the previous Otome who guarded Windbloom. That necklace even has the Meister Gems that went missing when her mother was killed. I read in one of the books about the Academy that there was a scholarship for the daughters of noted Otome," said Naruko.

Natsuki blinked.

"Arika is the daughter of the Blue Sky Sapphire?" said Natsuki.

"That's what Alyssa told me," said Naruko.

"That would qualify her for the fund left aside for the children of Otome...which would definitely cover her costs. But she would have to go through an entrance exam first."

"What about a mock battle with Nina? If she can hold her own against her, then she has what it takes to be an Otome."

"Considering you're the strongest Coral on Campus, that might work. Plus it would allow Nina to fix the mistake she made when she made that contract...as for you..." said Natsuki.

She reached into her drawer and pulled out an orange-red gem.

"This gem isn't too dissimilar to Coral Gems, and it would mean that we wouldn't have to make a replacement. Can you hide the fact you're not wearing Coral robes?" asked Natsuki.

"Easily," said Naruko.

She put her hands into a familiar set of hand signs.

"Henge!"

Standing before the headmistress was Naruko...wearing Coral robes.

"I just need the rod to fool everyone."

"I can get you a replacement, but you'll have to do the actually fooling. From now on you're cleared from combat practice...Miss Maria said you didn't need it anymore anyway," said Natsuki.

"Which neatly covers up why I'm not in my robes anymore, and Nina won't have to explain why she was in her robes, since I was the only one keeping us aloft," said Naruko.

"You were about due for this anyway. So if this Alyssa knows who Arika really is, then does she know where the real princess is?"

Naruko couldn't help her guffaw.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just...the Princess is a Coral! Hell, she was with us when we were falling!"

"It's not Mashiro or Arika... Nina?" said Natsuki, eyes widening.

Naruko nodded.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Alyssa only told me on the way to Artai. Besides, she said Nina wasn't a good choice for Princess. Which do you think she would rather be, an Otome or a Princess for a nation she could care less about?"

"Plus the fact she's more loyal to Artai... I see what you mean. This stays here, understood?"

"I wasn't going to say anything about it. How do you think people would react if they knew she was the real one? I would rather let Nina live her dream than force her to become the ruler."

"You're a good friend Naruko."

"So...if Arika passes can she be in our room? I would feel so much better if I could keep an eye on the girl, since we are cousins after all."

"Sure."

Arika not only beat Nina, but she also stopped the plane that crashed into the palace from killing innocent people.

Once Natsuki had a blood test done, it was proven that Arika was in fact the daughter of the previous Blue Sky Sapphire...and with a little fibbing she also 'proved' that Arika was in fact Naruko's second cousin.

Arika was thrilled to have living family, as was Naruko.

* * *

"I can't believe you don't have to join us in combat practice," said Arika.

"Naruko is the number one Coral fighting wise...however I'm the best when it comes to grades. She can probably teach you a few tricks," said Nina.

She was used to one Naruko, but Arika was like a younger, more innocent version of her. Thank Inari (she picked that up from Naruko, once the girl explained _who_ Inari was) she had patience.

"Miss Maria said I had less to learn about fighting anyways, and more to learn about etiquette."

Nina snorted.

"You do," she said flatly.

Naruko raised an eyebrow before she winked at Arika.

"Learn well young Coral. There is a time and place for being an adult. That time is never and that place does not exist..." said Naruko before she pounced on Nina.

"Naruko, what are you... Hey, stop that!" shouted Nina when Naruko immediately started to tickle her. Arika giggled and joined her cousin in the tickle torture.

* * *

Natsuki pinched the bridge of her nose.

Naruko had opened a whole can of worms she didn't want to deal with...at all. But she had also solved a problem before it could get too bad.

Now she just had to 'pass' the Pearl stage while acting as a Coral, despite the fact she already had her Gem. Thank god that odd gem that appeared looked like a standard Coral one. Though Naruko did have to hide the ear with the Gem piercing with her hair.

There was also the matter of the ghost, Alyssa. Normally she would dismiss it out of hand, but it did explain a few things. Like how a girl who didn't belong in their world could speak the same language. Or how she knew things no one should...like the silver wolf from her dreams called Duran.

Natsuki never mentioned that wolf to anyone, not even her lover Shizuru. So how could Naruko have known about him?

She needed a drink, badly.

* * *

Naruko took one look at Arika's panicking form and took pity on her.

"Sensei, can Arika be excused from fighting practice today?" she asked.

"Why?" asked Maria.

"I think she needs more help catching up on the school work at the moment than she does the fighting. If need be I would be willing to get her up to speed," said Naruko.

"You'll teach her the basics, correct?" asked Miss Maria.

"Yes ma'am. Once she's gotten the hang of them I'll hand her back to you," said Naruko.

* * *

Nina came in saw something that had her blink, then hid a grin.

Naruko was tutoring Arika while she moved. Apparently Arika was just as active as Naruko was, so this sort of thing was actually a good way to keep her focused.

Nina smiled. Naruko had come a long way from the rather shy girl she was when she first arrived.

_Flashback_

Nina stared at Naruko.

"What do you mean your friend beats you if you have trouble understanding something?" asked Nina.

"It's just that...Sakura-chan always whacks me really hard on my head whenever I ask a stupid question, things she thinks everyone gets. Like when I got confused about the different types of shinobi. She really hit me hard that time... I had to wait a minute before I could see properly again."

Nina couldn't believe that a 'friend' could be that callous.

Which was why she dragged Naruko down to the infirmary and mentioned the systematic head injuries Naruko had suffered. Two hours later, Nina was horrified by the X-rays.

Naruko had every bone in her body broken at least once, and there were consistent signs of head trauma, most likely from a very small fist. It was going to take months for them to fix this mess.

It took them three, and by that time Nina realized that Naruko had been permanently conditioned to use pain as a focus. So she tried something simple.

Instead of actually hurting the girl to get a lesson to stick, she pinched her whisker marks rather hard. It seemed to work, and Naruko quickly learned that when Nina pinched her cheeks she was misbehaving. If that didn't work, or she had to be subtle, she pulled on the girl's pigtail.

Strangely, this seemed to work rather well on written tests, which Naruko hated with a passion.

Once Naruko realized Nina wouldn't hit her for getting an answer wrong, she seemed to become very shy. It took Nina and Nao another two months just to get her to open up about her home...and Nina swore if she ever met Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno or Kakashi Hatake that they would feel the wrath of Nina Wang. She couldn't believe that they had gotten away with such blatant neglect and abuse for this long.

It was when they finally got through to the girl that they genuinely cared that she started calling them her sisters openly.


	4. Chapter 4

"Arika, what the hell did you do to piss off Big Sister Shiho?" asked Naruko while they cleaned up the pool.

"What do you mean?" asked Arika.

"I mean this sort of crap sounds far too much like Shiho's doing, not that Nao-nee-sama and I have been able to catch her at it," said Naruko, sweeping up the last of the white confection. She had quickly realized that Arika had somehow mistaken the sugar for the salt, and she knew the girl could read.

"Why would Shiho-sempai hate me?"

"I have no idea," said Naruko. The only reason Shiho left her alone was because she once beat Nao in an all out sparring match between the Corals and the Pearls. Not even that nutjob was willing to piss of Naruko when she could beat someone like Nao with her robes on when she didn't even have hers activated.

Well that and for some reason those weird swirly things never bothered her.

Suddenly Ersty shrieked as the water came out of the pool and turned into some tentacled monster out of a bad hentai.

"Dammit all! Shiho-sempai, this is all your fault!" shouted Naruko as she dodged another tentacle.

"How is this my fault?" shouted Shiho, who had been stuck supervising.

"I know you did something with that weird Maki-Maki crap! ARGH!" screamed Naruko, as she immediately used a one-handed Rasengan to break loose of yet another tentacle.

Thank Inari Jiraiya wasn't around to see this crap. She had no doubt it would end up in that poor excuse of a book.

Finally Nao managed to get there in time to destroy the thing, but Naruko was still pissed at Shiho.

She was so leaving frogs in her room.

* * *

"EEK!" screamed Shiho. Several other Pearls came to see what the problem was, and screamed with her.

Her room was filled with toads! Wall to wall toads!

Nao yawned, but when she saw what was in Shiho's room she started laughing, hard.

Trust Naruko to come up with a way to prank Shiho for that tentacle monster without getting caught in the process.

"What in blazes is... My word!" said Miss Maria. She had a hand to her chest in open shock at the number of amphibians in the room.

Shiho had to sleep in an empty room while hers was cleaned and the frogs safely removed.

Naruko ended up doing punishment duty to clean the room...only to leave it five minutes later.

Nao looked in, and wasn't surprised in the least to find the room spotless already.

"Those were your little clone things disguised as frogs weren't they?" she asked.

Naruko gave her a foxy smirk in response.

"Nice prank."

"She deserved it for the pool," said Naruko flatly.

Nao cackled in agreement.

* * *

"Arika, hurry up! We'll be late for work!" shouted Naruko. She was tossing on a jacket and heading outside the school grounds. This was her biggest job, and the only one available since the usual seasonal ones already had all the spots filled.

"I'm hurrying!" shouted Arika, pulling on another sock. She finally got her other shoe on and raced outside to catch Naruko.

They barely made it on time to the construction site, where they were fixing up Mashiro's castle.

For some reason, it included a lot of weird black metal that gave Naruko a really bad feeling.

"Arika! Naruko! I need you two to take something inside the palace!" shouted the foreman.

"Coming!"

Naruko and Arika headed inside, where they found an upset Mashiro and a teasing Nagi. Naruko glared at him and his eyes met hers with surprise.

She could see the cogs in his head turn with a plan.

Knowing her luck he believed her to be the missing Princess, if only because she was the one to identify Arika as the daughter of the previous Otome of Windbloom.

She wondered how he would react if he knew Nina was the Princess he was looking for, not her.

"You okay Mashiro? That brat didn't bother you or anything did he?" asked Naruko.

"I'm fine," sniffed Mashiro.

"Want me to give him a black eye? It might ruin our relationship with Artai for a while, but I'd consider it worth it since he made you cry," offered Naruko.

Mashiro gave a startled laugh. She had little doubt Naruko would give Nagi a black eye for that stunt he just pulled.

"I'm fine. He just proposed, out of the blue without any warning or showing any interest in me before."

"I wouldn't recommend it. You're still a kid, and marriage is a heavy commitment to a guy who's a total ass," said Naruko.

Mashiro laughed openly at that one. She leaned against a spot on the wall, only to fall backwards into a secret passage. Arika went after her along with her cat, before Naruko could stop them.

Oh well, Arika was pretty hardy and Mikoto was one smart, if annoying cat.

Maybe if she had a cat like Mikoto, she would be inclined to keep it. As it stood, she couldn't stand most of the furry bastards.

She gave Mashiro's maid the general direction of where the Queen last was before she went to work.

"Has anyone seen Kyle? He's been missing since I handed him that damn letter! And where's Arika?" asked the foreman.

"Arika got stuck babysitting the Queen who's in a right fury. She might not make it back in time," said Naruko flatly. The foreman made a face, but didn't dispute her claim. Mashiro was a bit of a brat, so the idea of her commandeering one of the workers wasn't too far fetched.

Naruko could see the thought in the foreman's mind after she said that.

_'At least it was the rookie and not someone more useful...'_

Naruko was considered one of the guys after she explained about her shadow clone trick and the fact she had out drank four of them after a day of work without getting tipsy. The foreman paid her double because of the clones, since her abnormal strength made her ideal for carrying the heavier materials without expensive machinery.

"So what's this about Kyle?"

"The idiot vanished after he got some letter from a relative. Felt like it had something with a chain in it, and it was fairly pointy," said the foreman.

Naruko blanched. No, no, no...not even her awful luck at missions couldn't make it that bad! Suddenly there was a loud blaring sound that made her wince.

"What the hell?!" she shouted, a sentiment shared by everyone else, as they were pretty damn close to whatever was making that awful racket.

She saw some weird energy in the sky before it stopped, and blessed silence hit her. Inside her stomach, she heard the Kyuubi, who had been silent for over a year, yell loudly about something waking him up and to point him in the direction of the idiots so he could tear them a new one.

Naruko made several clones.

"I'll leave them here while I check on Arika-chan. She might need rescuing from that bratty Queen," said Naruko. The foreman waved her off, putting the clones to immediate work. They did their fair share and he knew she got their memories after.

Naruko vanished and immediately dove down the spot where Arika and the others vanished.

It took her five minutes to find them, and three seconds to smack her forehead with her palm.

She couldn't leave these two alone for ten minutes without them causing a riot?!

Naruko watched as the two made an Otome contract and felt the need to bang her head against something. Repeatedly.

Arika was able to deal with the monster, though both her and Mashiro winced when Naruko whocked them both a good one on the head.

"OW!"

"You two are the biggest pair of idiots I've seen in a while. And I'm an idiot too for not following you in the first place. You do realize that it would take a superior Otome to _remove_ those blasted Gems from their fittings, and you'll be busted anyway because you broke your Coral gems right?" she said.

"What?!" shrieked Mashiro.

"It would take someone with the authority of a Pillar to remove a bound Meister Gem once a contract is made. Fortunately for you two, there is someone who can help you with that," said Naruko.

"I don't want to get into trouble! It's Arika's fault anyway!"

Naruko whocked Mashiro again.

"Who was it that decided to run away again? Be glad I covered for you two with the foreman. Now Arika, get over here so I can remove the Gems. Until we find a way to break the contract, you two are stuck together. Even if the gems are removed, you're still bound to each other."

Naruko carefully removed the gems, which glowed for a moment.

"Now, we are going to make a decent cover story as to _why_ the gems shattered. How close were you to this thing when it went off?"

"In the middle of it. It was some weird musical instrument," said Arika.

"Damn...I was hoping I was wrong. Anyway, as far as the Headmistress is concerned you two idiots were directly above that weird energy that went off. It shattered your gems, and you had nothing to do with whatever the hell this thing is. If anyone asks, you weren't down here. Agreed?" said Naruko. Her eyes were narrowed a bit.

"Agreed," said Mashiro flatly.

As predicted, Mashiro and Arika got into trouble, but it was a lot less than what they would have gotten had Naruko not covered for them...and removed the gems before anyone found out. Arika had to surrender her next five paychecks to pay for the replacement gem, as the scholarship only paid for them if they were lost during a training accident.

Arika was so relieved not to be in even more trouble that she never thought to ask how Naruko was able to remove the gems in the first place.

Though of course things grew complicated fast when Naruko finally met Miyu...with Nina nearby.

* * *

Alyssa was sitting on Naruko's shoulders riding with her legs around Naruko's neck and her hands on Naruko's head. Naruko didn't actually feel any weight, but she still knew the ghost was there watching Arika chat with Miyu.

"Arika, who is this?" asked Miyu, looking at Naruko oddly.

"Hi! I'm Naruko...Alyssa's other descendant."

Miyu blinked.

"Alyssa only has one."

"I'm from the ones who were left behind. Or do I need to call down Artemis, the Golden Lightning down on you to prove I'm telling the truth?"

If Miyu doubted her claim before, that proved it.

"By the way, Alyssa says hi," said Naruko.

"Um...isn't Alyssa Miyu's bird?" asked Arika. The little gold bird chirped from Miyu's shoulder.

"Nope. She's a ghost currently riding on my shoulder."

"For the last time Naruko, ghosts don't exist," said Nina, coming up behind her.

"They do exist, otherwise I would have had trouble communicating," said Naruko.

"What are you doing here Nina?"

"It's past curfew and you two still aren't asleep," said Nina bluntly.

Miyu took one look at Nina and blinked.

"Trust the daughter of the country's former Otome to befriend the missing Princess of Windbloom."

"What?" said Nina eyes wide.

Naruko hissed.

"Dammit, I was trying to keep that quiet Miyu!"

"I'm the missing Windbloom princess?" said Nina in shock.

"Yeah, according to Alyssa you went missing down a river that lead to some Artai idiots. I kept my silence on it because I knew you always wanted to be an Otome, and being a princess sucks big time," said Naruko.

"How could being a princess suck? I mean you get a castle..."

"But at the cost of your freedom. Even a bound Otome has more personal freedom than the rulers do. We're allowed to retire and lead our own lives... Think how much freedom Mashiro has now that she's the current Queen. Why do you think she runs away and ducks out of her responsibility all the time? Being a Queen is boring as hell!" said Naruko flatly.

It was why she didn't give Mashiro a hard time about running away, even though it was technically her duty to keep an eye on her.

Being an Otome was a pain in the ass, but at least they could take breaks...being the queen responsible for an entire country was a bigger pain.

"If you want Nina, I'll keep my silence about this. I mean the only one who is aware of the truth is the headmistress, and she hasn't come out about it yet either. We left the real decision up to you," said Naruko.

"I think I would rather be an Otome than a princess. Mashiro is already the Queen, so why would I want a title I don't need, or the headache that comes with it?" said Nina.

"That's the Nina I know and love!" laughed Naruko.

Miyu looked between Nina and Naruko...she could already see a bond forming between the two, and not a sisterly one either.

She wondered if those two had realized that yet...should be entertaining to watch.

* * *

Miss Maria was visiting the grave of her best friend when she caught the scent of something...odd. It almost smelled flora.

Coming down to the tomb of the Otome who had died in battle, she found a Coral placing small vases at the base of each marker.

"What in blazes are you doing down here?" asked Ms. Maria.

"Honoring the dead. When I found out about this place I asked the headmistress if I could place flowers down here to properly honor them and she said I could," said Naruko.

Ms. Maria noticed that each grave had a small bouquet, all of them appropriate for a grave site. She was only half way done, which was unusual since the girl normally used her clones to get out of chores.

Since Naruko was being properly respectful to the dead, Ms. Maria left her alone. Though she did have a single comment to make in the event that Naruko did this again.

"Lilacs."

"Hmm?"

"One of my best friends was laid down here, and her favorite flower was lilacs."

"I'll make sure to bring some down next time," said Naruko. Once she was finished with the Otome, she went down to the Predecessor's tomb and laid down a small bouquet of white roses. She was silent for a good five minutes with her head bowed down in respect for the dead.

"Shall I assume that you'll be coming down here frequently from now on?" asked Ms. Maria.

Naruko nodded.

"The headmistress said I was allowed to read the books down here, since I'm not exactly in league with any of the nations and it'll keep me out of trouble. However this is my second trip down here, and when I realized that there was a memorial to the fallen Otome I made sure to bring flowers for my next visit."

"I'll ignore the fact you are allowed down here so long as you remember to be respectful to the dead and don't brag about it. Agreed?"

"Yes ma'am! By the way, which one is your friend's grave?"

"I'll show you so you don't get it wrong."


	5. Chapter 5

Nina looked at Naruko. Arika was spending the night doing something for Big Sister Nao, though Nina had the feeling Nao was doing something perverted...again.

"Why didn't you turn in those Meister gems when you found them?"

"Why should I? I'm practical to a fault. What if I needed them as bargaining chips? Besides, that stupid ring got stuck on my finger after I put it on," said Naruko annoyed.

She had put it on only to see what it was like to wear an Otome ring, and the stupid thing had gotten stuck on her knuckle! When Alyssa looked at it, she called her an idiot and told Naruko that the thing had been so eager for a master that it bonded to her...the fact she had been wearing the Pillar gem hadn't helped.

Which meant she could conceivably turn a Coral into a full Otome if they agreed to be her partner.

Nina conceded Naruko's point. She did have a penchant for finding trouble.

"But why me?"

"Nao-nee-sama is awesome and all, but I know she'll look after herself first. You on the other hand have always had my back, even when I was still a rookie Coral...besides, you were the one who took enough of an interest in me to break me of that habit of using real pain to focus," said Naruko bluntly.

Nina blinked, but conceded that point. She had been the one to work the most with the girl to break that awful habit, even if it took six months to do it.

"So...do you think Nao-nee-sama is putting Arika through...that?" asked Naruko deadpan.

"Knowing her, yes. We'll find out anyway later," said Nina equally deadpan.

Nao had a bit of a side business with one of the Otome fan magazines by selling secret photos of the Corals playing in some rather risque lingerie. Naruko couldn't help but feel Jiraiya would get along great with Nao...if she ever let him anywhere near Garderobe.

Nao had tricked Naruko into starring in the magazines a few times in exchange for keeping the outfits later, until Nina told her what was really going on.

Naruko still helped out, because Nao gave her a cut of the profits for using her clones.

"Why did Arika agree to that anyway?"

"From what I understand, she's hoping to find a way to break the bond between her and Mashiro."

"Good luck with that, I confiscated the gems in the underground," snorted Naruko.

She would only hand it over once the castle was ready to be unveiled, because she didn't need the headache of those two right now.

"I heard that a King was coming to our country soon...Mai Tokiha's brother?" said Nina.

"Seriously? The Tragic Meister's brother? I heard she could cook a mean ramen!" said Naruko drooling. Nina grabbed her pigtail with one hand.

"Nina-chan's mean..." whined Naruko.

Nina blinked...didn't Naruko usually call her nee-chan?

"In any case, you might be called as protection duty for the Queen...if she doesn't escape again."

"Bah. Let her have her fun. Once she's older it'll be harder for her to run away. Once she finally gets this out of her system, she'll be a better ruler."

Nina winced.

"Besides, there's no way in hell I'd condemn my best friend to that nightmare! Dear Inari the paperwork..." whimpered Naruko.

Nina blanched. Now she was really glad she wasn't the current Queen. Sure Mashiro was a spoiled brat, but she wouldn't condemn anyone to that headache.

* * *

Naruko was too busy banging her head against the wall when she heard the plan was to have Arika play Mashiro's part.

She took one look at the 'brother of Tokiha' and blinked.

"Oh come on! You mean to tell me both of the rulers decided to take a holiday _now_?" said Naruko.

"What do you mean?" asked the headmistress.

"Well last time I checked, we're supposed to be waiting for a guy, not a cross-dressing _girl_. And believe me, I've been learning to tell the difference since I made that mistake once before," said Naruko.

Well that and she had looked up the kid before and this wasn't him. This was definitely his bodyguard.

"Your ruler went off without warning too?" complained the body double.

"Mashiro has a bad habit of skipping out on paperwork, not that I blame her really. Paperwork is the invention of the devil," said Naruko with a shudder.

"So what do we do now?" asked the headmistress.

"I'll send out the clones to find them and shadow them if they're together. Chances are that he's trying to teach Mashiro a pointed lesson on ruling," shrugged Naruko, sending out over a hundred clones who henged in order to avoid a panic.

"Found them...oh good grief, he's taking her on a tour of the slums! What kind of idiot does that with someone as bitchy as Mashiro?" said Naruko.

"Oh good lord...and he didn't take his medicine with him," facepalmed the girl.

"What's your name anyway?"

"Akira. His highness' personal bodyguard. Can you possibly deliver his medicine to him and keep an eye out for trouble?"

"Hang on," said Naruko. Akira handed over the medication and Naruko had another clone take it to the boy. She also alerted Nao's gang to keep an eye out for trouble while maintaining their distance.

Which turned out to be a good thing, as they were able to get the kids out once trouble arose.

"This is such a headache," complained Akira.

"I know right? I let Mashiro run off all the time because she might need those skills to avoid a second massacre, but everyone is so panicky about it that the poor girl can't act like a kid at all. Besides, I wouldn't force my worst enemy to do that much paperwork...a traitor yes, but not an enemy," said Naruko.

"So which clan do you come from?" asked Akira suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"You're a shinobi, I can tell that much. And judging by that headband you're from Konoha. So which clan are you from?" asked Akira.

Naruko blinked twice.

"How did you know I was from Konoha?"

"I'm from a remnant of Uzu. About a hundred years ago, Uzushiogakure vanished and came here when the village was attacked. So which clan are you from?"

"Uzumaki. My name is Uzumaki Naruko."

"Akira Uzumaki, glad to finally meet a cousin from the Elemental Countries. So how bad has it gotten over there?"

"The Third Hokage has died, the Fox was resealed and there was an invasion by a new village called the Hidden Sound. I have it on good authority that the way back home will be reopened very soon, so you might be able to return."

"Ah... Let me guess, you're the new container since Aunt Kushina is gone?"

"Unfortunately. Ah, it appears your liege-lord is heading to the hospital," said Naruko.

"Dammit, not again," complained Akira.

Naruko grinned...she might have to visit that country more often if it held her missing relatives.

* * *

Jiraiya was waiting outside a nice cafe when he saw Naruko.

"Good to see you alive, gaki," he said.

"Can it pervy sage. I have news you might want to give Tsunade... I've found the missing Uzumaki clan."

"What?" he said, spitting out his water.

"Apparently they activated some weird seal that sent them here...they have an entire country to themselves and no one is aware of their real heritage. That's probably how I ended up here, aside from the fact I was drawn in by a ghost of all things."

"So...how's school?"

"Great...just freaking great. I hate paperwork and because I got this replacement I've been excused from anything remotely interesting. On the plus side, Nina is seriously considering coming with me back to Konoha, if only to give Haruno and Hatake a piece of her mind."

Jiraiya winced.

"How bad?"

"She wants you to give this to Tsunade, since she was finally able to obtain a copy that wasn't blacked out. According to her most of the head stuff came from Sakura's punches."

Jiraiya took a cursory scan and blanched.

"What... is this true?"

"Most of our technology runs on chakra, and it's always been confused by the fox I think. Probably why no one picked up on this sooner," said Naruko.

"Dammit, I am going to kill Kakashi-chan for this..."

"He always was more loyal to the damn Uchiha than he was to his team. Anyway I'll need your help getting some old Uzu headbands. Seems a few of the Uzumaki want to come back, but most of the gear was lost."

"Planning to swap out the Leaf for the Whirlpool?" asked Jiraiya.

"After finding out how much damage my own _team_ (she spat out the word like a curse) caused? Hell yes!"

Jiraiya winced.

"Please tell me you are at least willing to come back to Konoha for a bit."

"I'm not one of their shinobi anymore, and the village will probably cheer when they hear I plan to return to Uzu. But I will come back long enough to say hi to the few people who actually gave a damn about me," said Naruko.

"So...made any progress with Nina-chan yet?" smirked Jiraiya.

Jiraiya had noted a month ago that Naruko had quit calling her roommate Nina-nee-chan. He could see the girl was slowly warming up to her roommate in a way that didn't imply they would be friends...and from what he heard of Garderobe, it was a breeding ground for girl-on-girl action...hell the Headmistress was a Yuri fan!

Too bad males were banned from the place and Naruko refused to summon him anywhere near it.

"Dammit Jiraiya, I'm not sure I think of her like that yet. Besides, even if I did, I want her to accept me completely."

"I notice you're not denying it," he said smugly.

"She's the only person who's ever cared enough to do something about my own problems, or trust me completely. If it weren't for her I would be an emotional wreck, always hiding behind my mask," said Naruko.

"I think she would be good for you gaki. From what I've seen of the girl, she'd make an excellent shinobi."

"Alyssa-chan and I are working on how to make an Otome into a shinobi without anyone realizing they were a civilian. So far the best solution we've come up with is donating a tail's worth to the other person and teaching them how to make hand seals."

"A tail... that would be roughly high jounin level at least!"

"I know. But with how inexperienced they would be it would even out to a mid to high chunin until they got used to being a shinobi."

"True."

Naruko left before dinner, as it was one of the rare nights Nina would allow her to make ramen noodles. And she needed her ramen fix dammit!

* * *

Naruko listened patiently to Arika's talk about Major Sergay... Nina's stepfather. When she spoke of her feelings towards the man, Naruko started pinching her cheeks and refused to let go.

"Ow... Why are you pinching me Naru-itoko?"

"You are an _idiot_,"said Naruko flatly.

"What?"

"Sergay is a grown man, and from what I heard was in love with your mother. There's also the fact that Artai has been up to something recently. How do you know he actually likes you that way and isn't trying to get you out of the picture? Plus there's the fact he's well over twice your age," said Naruko irritably.

Shinobi were quite a bit more lax about age differences and same-sex couples (as long as the 'partners' adopted or had a surrogate raise a child for them) but even they had standards. Dating someone twice your age was one of the few things they did frown on, especially if it involved a teenager and an adult.

Arika fell back onto the bed. She was so confused. On one hand, Sergay was rather nice to her and she suspected him of being her secret admirer. On the other, Naruko clearly didn't approve of a relationship outside of being friends with someone twice her age. As Arika thought about it, she saw Naruko's point.

It was inappropriate for a girl her age to date someone old enough to be her own father.

"Besides, you have to consider your dream. Don't you remember the stipulations behind becoming an Otome in the first place?" said Naruko.

Arika blinked.

"Otome can never have sex with a man, or the machines would break down and they would lost their ability to materialize. Why do you think people don't frown when they see a couple of Otome hugging or even kissing in public? Garderobe is the only place where having a relationship with your roommate isn't frown upon," said Naruko.

It was the only school where same-gender relationships were almost outright encouraged. Or where the teachers wouldn't complain about how it was 'wrong' for them to love someone from the same gender.

"I don't know what I should do Naruko..."

"Which is more important to you...your dream to be an Otome or a man who is old enough to be your own father who was in love with your mother? He could be doing this out of obligation to her you know...and there's always a chance he might turn down your offer."

Arika pouted. Naruko was blunt and had a good point. If she did go with Sergay like he offered, then she would be throwing all this hard work away for nothing, just for someone she barely knew. Was losing her only chance at her dream really worth that price?

Arika sat up.

"I've made up my mind. I'll forget about Sergay entirely. I have plenty of time for romance once I'm an Otome!" said Arika. Naruko hugged her cousin. She was proud the girl made that decision with little input from her.

Outside Nina didn't know what to think. How could her father make such an offer to Arika like that, let alone sponsor her? Did he really love Arika more than her?

In her heart, she could feel something change about her feelings towards the man who raised her.

She still loved her father...but she was slowly losing the infatuation with him after hearing all of that. Watching Naruko interact with Arika, a new feeling started to bloom.

Naruko had once said that she would rather be killed than betray her friends, and she considered Nina her best friend after the girl broke her of the misguided loyalty to her village. Naruko might care for her precious people, like Hinata or Shino, but she had lost her loyalty to the people of Konoha and the ideal that it had.

Nina almost didn't notice the odd fox-head earring Naruko wore.


	6. Chapter 6

"EHH?! A survival test?" said Naruko.

After the headache she had dealing with Arika's love life, and the absolute hell of the written exams, now they had to deal with most of the candidates worst nightmares...the dreaded field trip to Aries for the survival and cooking test.

Most of the Corals hated it, but Naruko and Arika were looking forward to it.

Mostly because it was the sort of thing they excelled in anyway.

* * *

Naruko grabbed one of Arika's braids before she had a chance to jump in the water.

"Naru-chan..." whined Arika.

"This vacation isn't for us silly. It's for the top three Pearls and the others. We're stuck going through the forest later and cooking," said Naruko.

"Thank you Miss Uzumaki," said Meister Yomiko.

"Aww..."

"Look at the bright side...we might end up paired together!" said Naruko.

And because it was a luck of the draw, that was exactly what happened. Naruko's luck had always been good when it came to gambling.

* * *

"You want to take to the trees?" asked Arika.

"Yup. Less chance of running into a snake or something, and we can keep an eye on where our position is. I beat this thing last year with Nina-chan before any of the other girls got half way."

Arika thought that the challenge sounded like fun...more than just walking. So they both took to the trees and started running.

By the time the sky turned dark and night began to fall, they were already halfway to the end of the course.

"Let's stop here and make camp. I'll go get some fish while you start a fire," said Naruko.

"Got it!" said Arika.

By the time Naruko returned, Arika had started a decent fire.

"Hand me a knife so I can clean these fish."

"Wasn't part of the exercise to cook for one of the examiners?"

"Yes, but if this were a real survival test then we would need to stretch supplies as long as possible. As long as it's edible, we should be able to ace this test. Besides, you want breakfast for tomorrow right?" said Naruko.

Arika agreed. That sounded like a better idea than wasting parts just to make it all fancy. Naruko set her to dicing some roots she found that were edible, and when she was done she stuffed the fish with them and put them over the fire. She turned them once she smelled that side done.

"Hi Akane-nee-sama!" said Naruko.

"Hello Naruko! Hi Arika!" said Akane. She liked Naruko because the girl occasionally distracted Ms. Maria so she could visit her boyfriend Kazu. As long as she brought back a book for her to read, Naruko would keep the others distracted.

Naruko didn't care if Akane dated Kazu...if she wanted to quit being an Otome because she found love, that was her business.

Naruko handed over two large fish that had been prepared with care. Akane dutifully tried it, as the meal was rather simple.

"Hmm...full marks! Can I ask why you didn't do more?"

"In a real survival test, supplies are always a constant worry. Instead of wasting food just to make the meal fancy, one should consider the factors. How long are you stuck outside civilization? How far is it to the nearest water supply? Are any of your party injured, and how much food do you need? Sometimes the basics are the better idea, instead of trying to overdo it," said Naruko.

Arika nodded in agreement.

"Waste not, want not," said Arika.

"Good reasoning! You two get full marks for today!" said Akane. She knew the headmistress would agree to that.

Naruko caught another fish, and with a short fire the two had breakfast. Fire jutsu was a useful thing to have, considering they didn't have the time to do it the usual way. Despite the memories it evoked from Naruko about a red-eyed, raven-haired bastard.

Once they had a decent breakfast, Arika was ready to go.

It took less than two hours before a problem arose.

* * *

"We're lost," said Arika.

"We're not lost," said Naruko stubbornly. If they held to the coast they would end up near an area with guards. It wasn't against the rules to ask for directions.

"Yes we are! We passed that tree ten minutes ago!" said Arika.

"How do you know that?"

Arika pointed to a mark she made earlier when they passed the same tree twice. Naruko winced.

"Dammit...let's follow the coast instead of going through the forest. About ten miles that way is an area with guards. They can give us directions if we ask," said Naruko.

This happened last time too, and Nina hadn't been happy about it one bit.

The two of them made their way to the cliff side where Naruko had seen guards last time this happened. It took them ten minutes to climb (without chakra as Naruko felt that was being lazy...and a bit mean to Arika who didn't have her coils unlocked) and reach the top.

Naruko stopped Arika from getting too close, as she smelled blood in the air.

"Something's wrong..."

"How right you are, cute little girls," said a voice.

Naruko pushed Arika out of the way of the whip.

"Who are you?"

"I'm more interested in how you two knew about this place. I noticed you headed directly for this spot from the cliff," asked the attacker. He looked like some sort of cyborg.

"Last time we came here I got totally lost. I knew the guards here had directions," said Naruko flatly.

"A pity you had to get lost in this sector, little girls," smirked the man.

"Naruko, what do we do?"

"Well considering we are under a hostile situation and these armbands would only bring two Pearls at the most... Come over here," said Naruko.

She had to bring help, fast, and those armbands wouldn't bring them fast enough...however a Coral activating their robes under a survival challenge when it wasn't allowed would bring more help, and fast.

Arika stood to the right of Naruko, who brushed her hand over her earring. It shimmered before changing to it's true form, that of a fox head with the gem inside the mouth and a pair of wings on either side.

"Under emergency order AC195, I, Naruko Uzumaki of the Fox Fire Agate, command you to release your powers," said Naruko, kissing the earring on Arika's left ear.

It whirled into life, since Naruko was technically an unofficial Sixth Pillar.

"Materialize!" said Arika, and to her shock her robes appeared.

* * *

_Back at base camp..._

"Headmistress, we have an unauthorized activation of a robe!" shouted Akane.

"Who activated their robe and where?" asked Natsuki.

"Coral 52, Arika Yumemiya! She's way off course!"

"Shizuru, get Haruka and meet me at the coordinates. Naruko wouldn't activate Arika's robes unless they were in combat situation!" said Natsuki.

"Materialize!"

Natsuki was off to the area where the activation occurred, and she only hoped she was in time.

* * *

"Impossible! Corals can't activate their robes unless..."

"Unless authorized by someone with a Master gem or a Pillar," finished Naruko. She brushed back her left ear, where the smiling winged fox could be seen.

"I'm sort of an unofficial Pillar," smirked Naruko, "The only reason I didn't activate _my_ robes is because it wouldn't have gotten our base camp's attention. I'm not registered on their servers."

Which was true. Because she could force an activation with her chakra at any time, Natsuki had her on a special frequency that only she could access. Naruko was still considered a Coral, so she had to follow the same rules as everyone else. Since she considered this an undercover mission, she rarely activated her robes unless given 'permission' by a teacher.

So for her to activate another Coral meant that something serious was happening.

"Rasengan!" shouted Naruko, trying to shove a spiraling ball of death and pain onto the cyborg.

Clearly the cyborgs hadn't been informed of Naruko's ability to fight without robes or a Slave.

"Naru-chan!"

"Uzumaki," shouted Natsuki. They found the Headmistress had arrived.

"Finally! I thought authorizing Arika would get your attention," said Naruko with relief.

Natsuki saw the cyborg and growled. How dare he attack her students!

"Arika, you and Naruko head back to base camp. When you see Shizuru and the others, make sure that they know what's going on," said Natsuki.

"Right!"

Naruko was the one to spot Shizuru, and pointed her in the direction of the fighting while Chie and Akane brought them back to base camp.

"What happened?" asked Mashiro.

"Aswald from the Black Valley is what happened," said Naruko sourly.

Arika had been sworn to secrecy about the fact it was Naruko who authorized her robes. Because she technically hadn't graduated, she wasn't legally allowed to do that without an emergency. Even if she did have the Neptune Emerald in her possession, though only Natsuki and Shizuru were aware of that since the ring had accidentally bonded to Naruko.

Since she did have a Pillar Gem, she could legally have an Otome accompany her, though it was highly unusual. There were a few times when a Pillar had a partner, like in the case of Natsuki and Shizuru.

Even though technically the only way they could get that allowed was if her partner was also her partner in another sense.

"Uzumaki Naruko, you did well," said Natsuki.

The cyborgs had managed to make it out of that place with whatever they were after, though they had a lot more trouble doing it.

They had to retake the exam, but in the end Naruko and Arika passed it with flying colors...in two days.

* * *

"So your birthday is on September 7th Nina-chan?" asked Naruko. She had forgotten to ask about it last year because Nina had been so busy re-wiring her brain from the mess it was thanks to Konoha's bad educational system. Who knew they were only a little over a month apart, birthday wise?

"Yes," said Nina.

"Isn't that Mashiro's birthday too? Talk about lucky," said Naruko.

"I heard they plan to have a big celebration for her, since she became queen this year," said Nina.

"Seriously? Talk about wasteful! Everyone _knows_ it's Mashiro's birthday, so why is she having a big to do about it? Shouldn't she focus on the fact that the slums have grown exponentially since she became Queen?" said Naruko.

As someone who lived in the slums most of her life, she was more aware than most about how hard it was to make ends meet when you didn't have a steady income.

Which was why she paid some of the children in the slums to grow flowers for her to place in memorial of the fallen Otome. That way their families would be able to eat and be able to survive. Sure she could get professionally grown flowers that looked better, but as someone who had struggled to make ends meet for years, she preferred locally grown ones.

Among the slums, Naruko was considered the savior of the common people since unlike other Otome candidates, she genuinely cared about the less fortunate.

"It's not like we have a say in Mashiro's behavior," said Nina.

"No, but Arika might be able to get it through to her that she should remember those who keep this kingdom running."

"Get through to who?" asked Arika.

"Mashiro. I get that she's excited about her birthday, since she was recently instated as queen and all, but she needs to remember that she can't blow the kingdom's money on fancy parties just because she was spoiled as a child. Think you could convince her to try and share some of that fancy food with people from the slums?"

"I doubt it," said Arika.

"You do realize that most of the people who live in that place hate the queen with a passion right?"

"What?"

"It's because Mashiro doesn't have a head for managing money that so many have lost their jobs. Quite a few people in the slums actively hate her because of the tax increases that came from paying for all that fancy crap she's into. Repairing her castle isn't cheap you know," said Naruko flatly.

Arika didn't know what to think about that. Which was why Naruko took her down to the slums (in disguise of course) and gave her the hard reality of the situation.

She wasn't exaggerating on how much the poorer people hated Mashiro.

* * *

"Ni-na-chan! Happy Birthday!" Naruko called out.

Nina saw Naruko had something behind her back.

"What is that?"

"Your present silly! I got one for Arika too...who knew you had the same birthday?"

For Arika she got a photo album of her mother. She had ordered it months ago through Natsuki and it came with stuff that was normally difficult to get...like her graduation picture.

"So what's in that?"

"Open it and find out silly!" said Naruko.

Nina took the box and slowly opened it. Inside was a new pair of hair barrettes to hold her hair up and what appeared to be a necklace.

"This looks expensive!" said Nina in surprise.

"It helps when you agree to bodyguard the shop from thieves and even stop a robbery... they gave me a discount!" said Naruko.

Which was partially true. The real reason they gave a discount was because Naruko had been helping the owner's brother by 'employing' his seven-year-old daughter to grow flowers for her. Because of that and the robbery she stopped, she was able to get Nina's present for a much more reasonable price.

"Thanks Naruko," said Nina, hiding a blush. The barrettes were in her favorite color too.

"Thanks Naruko-chan!" said Arika, clutching the album tightly.

"Which reminds me, didn't you get a letter from Zipang earlier?" asked Nina.

"I almost forgot! Akira has been helping me work on my seals!" said Naruko.

Naruko had hit it off with the Zipang Prince's bodyguard Akira, who had been happy to tell the Uzumaki that the time to go home would be soon. In return, she had been helping Naruko with her seals through letters.

That didn't mean they were abandoning Zipang, but it did mean that they would be able to reconnect with their roots. It was nice having a country without having to worry about an invasion.

Naruko took out the letter and when she read it her grin widened.

"That explains so much! Really, Jiraiya is such a useless teacher..." muttered Naruko.

Despite keeping her in contact with Tsunade, Jiraiya hadn't done much as her 'sensei' aside from leaving jutsu and fuinjutsu scrolls for her to read. Akira had much easier to understand lessons on the subject.


	7. Chapter 7

Naruko looked the other way while Akane ran off to see her boyfriend. She had heard several rumors about Akane recently and none of them inspired any good thoughts.

Akane was scheduled to become the Otome of a rival country. One that would take great offense should she date her boyfriend Kazu.

Which was why Naruko had waved her usual fee of a book to read later. She felt sorry for Akane, who would have to choose between love and duty at this rate.

"Sorry I'm late Naruko-chan! Any news?" whispered Akane.

"None so far. Any luck figuring out how to deal with this mess?" asked Naruko.

Akane shook her head.

"Well if worse came to worse you could run off and elope," said Naruko.

"I couldn't possibly do that!" said Akane.

"Why not? It's not like you two don't already care for each other," said Naruko.

"Because if we did that..."

"You would have to quit being an Otome. Did it never occur to you that you could...I don't know...adopt a kid?"

"But then we would never..."

"What if you became his wife and helped choose the Otome you want to protect you?"

Akane had no answer to this problem.

"It's none of my concern if you chose love over duty. The only advice I can give to you Akane-nee-sama, is to chose what you feel right in your heart. Your heart will never lead you wrong."

_Two weeks later..._

Naruko grinned as she watched Kazu kidnap Akane from the ceremony. Those two were adorable.

* * *

"So I hear that the repairs on the castle are nearly done," said Nina.

"Yup. Mashiro _could_ have waited until the country was stable financially, but I guess she's tired of Garderobe's hospitality."

Nina was aware Naruko didn't think much of Mashiro, who was a spoiled brat.

"I've been meaning to ask this for a while...where did you get that odd ring on your right hand?"

"I found it in Artai. It's awesome right? It's supposed to be a replica of a lost Meister Gem called the Neptune Emerald."

"If they had the ring, I bet you also got the earring to go with it didn't you?" joked Nina.

"Yup!" said Naruko pulling it out of her small bag of treasures.

"It looks almost authentic!" said Nina impressed.

_'You have no idea how real it is,'_ thought Naruko.

"Hey Nina, if I were a Pillar, would you become my Otome partner?" asked Naruko.

"I thought Pillars worked alone?" asked Nina.

"They do, but sometimes they're allowed to have partners. Like Shizuru-onee-sama and Natsuki-dono," said Naruko.

"Yes, but those two are..."

"Well the special circumstances behind a Pillar working with a partner Otome to help them are pretty clear," said Naruko.

"You mean they have to be partners in more than one sense?" asked Nina.

"Apparently. And not in the just-as-friends sort of way either," said Naruko.

"Naruko, if you ever become a Pillar and I haven't been made into an Otome, I'd be happy to be your partner," said Nina with a blush.

Her feelings for Naruko had been growing stronger than the ones for her stepfather Sergay for months now.

"Nina-chan!" said Naruko, glomping her.

A few days later, Naruko gave her the earring.

"If you ever need luck, or something bad happens, I want you to wear this," said Naruko.

Nina put it with her watch. She had no idea what would happen once she put that earring on in place of her Coral one.

* * *

"I can't believe those two countries would start a fight at this time..." said Naruko.

"I know. It does seem rather odd that they would chose now of all times to have an argument through their Otome," said Nina.

"Are you heading down to the mausoleum tonight Naruko?"

"Ms. Maria promised to change the flowers for me. I think she likes the fact I'm so respectful to the Otome who died in their duty," said Naruko.

In fact Ms. Maria had quickly become her favorite teacher. Because they both held a similar respect for the dead, Naruko knew she could trust the woman to an extent.

"So what do you think happened Naruko-chan?" asked Arika.

"I think that someone is on the move. This was no border dispute. I mean the timing alone makes this battle far too suspicious," said Naruko.

Then came the news that one of the Corals was leaving...Miya Clochette. Naruko knew something big was on the verge of breaking out.

It took Naruko an hour to find the girl and get the real story.

"I should have known that viper was behind this," said Naruko.

Tomoe Marguerite had given her a bad vibe since day one. The witch was in love with Shizuru-onee-sama, and was willing to sabotage the efforts of other Otome candidates to get what she wanted.

After the sound thrashing Arika gave her, Naruko became extra vigilant in shadowing her.

* * *

"Nina Wang, Naruko Uzumaki, Arika Yumemiya. Congratulations. You three have been chosen as the Corals to perform the inaugural Dance Battle during the unveiling of the new Castle," said Ms. Maria.

"Hai," said Naruko.

"Naruko-chan, why do you always have those weird things strapped to your arms and legs when we go running?" asked Arika a few days later.

"These? They're weights so I can get extra training done," said Naruko.

"How heavy are they? You don't want to strain yourself too much," said Nina.

"Ano..." said Naruko looking away sheepishly.

"Naruko, just how heavy are those weights?" asked Nina suspicious.

"It's better to show you..." said Naruko embarrassed.

She took off an arm weight, which was lighter than the ones on her legs and put it on the ground gently. Nina tried to pick it up, but couldn't. It took the combined effort of Nina and Arika to lift the thing more than an inch before they had to drop it. It landed with a dull thud, creating a small crater.

"Naruko-chan, how heavy is that thing?!" said Arika.

"About fifty to sixty pounds. The ones around my legs are a hundred each."

"You have the combined weight of over three hundred pounds on you...how the hell have you been able to move so easily?!" said Nina in absolute shock.

"I usually have around four hundred, but I've been taking it easy. If you want, I can get some basic weights for you two to practice with...they'll be a lot lighter but they're pretty much the same as mine," said Naruko.

"How much lighter?" asked Nina.

"About ten to twenty pounds each. Like I said, they're basic weights," said Naruko.

She had graduated to the advanced ones in four months when she started the Academy. Those weighed four times the amount.

"No wonder you're so strong!" said Arika impressed.

Once they had the basic set, it took Nina and Arika a few days to get used to the additional weight. But they didn't complain once about it.

* * *

"We will begin the Graduation Ceremony with a Dance Battle between Corals and Pearls."

Naruko was between Nina and Arika while they unveiled the new castle.

The second she saw the monstrosity that had taken the place of Mashiro's original design, she was disgusted.

Slaves filled the streets as the Schwarz took control of Windbloom.

Natsuki used her status as the Second Pillar and Headmistress to do a mass authorization of all robes. They would need the help fighting this enemy.

"Naruko-chan, what do we..."

"Nina, do you still have that earring I gave you?" asked Naruko seriously.

"The replica?" asked Nina.

"It's not a replica," said Naruko.

In fact ever since she had the Gem she had been slowly altering it so that it could be used with chakra. It helped that one of her chakra natures was water.

"Then you're really..."

"The Master that belongs to the Neptune Emerald? Yes. Though to be honest it was an accident I bonded with the ring. I only meant to try it on for fun, but it won't come off," said Naruko.

"The only reason a Master Gem would refused to come off..."

"Is if I had the authority or bloodline to use it," finished Naruko.

Naruko turned serious for a moment...and she worried Nina.

"I am Uzumaki Naruko, daughter of the last Princess of Whirlpool and the Head of the Uzumaki Clan. Thanks to the way I ended up in this world, I can take possession of a Master Gem and have an Otome at my side."

"Then why are you an Otome?"

"Because I want to be. In our world, we don't have any stigma against same-gender couples so long as a few things are done. Adoption, surrogates, even taking multiple partners is allowed. That's why I'm allowed to be an Otome," said Naruko with a smile.

"Shinobi live fast, fight hard...and die young. Living to the age of fifty is considered a miracle at best, let alone retaining your sanity. Naruko," said Jiraiya. He had come to watch her fight.

"Hai, I know. Mission, Start," said Naruko.

She took out a mask, one designed to look like a fox.

"ANBU Naruko Uzumaki, awaiting orders taicho," said the girl.

Naruko had been inducted as a secret ANBU when she was ten as a joke by Anko. It was a way to counter the Uchiha kid should the need arise.

Just because a majority of Konoha treated the Uchiha clan as the next coming of the Rikudo Sannin didn't mean the clans did. Some, like the Hyuuga, felt that they needed a countermeasure in case the boy went rogue, as he obviously did.

So they picked Naruko as their counter. The third had no idea of the fact she had been getting training from the ANBU on the sly.

Naruko's designation was the Sly Fox. She was only called in when a...younger...ANBU was needed. This was her first official mission.

"Nina-chan, I suggest you follow orders for now. If the system turns off..."

"I understand, Naruko," said Nina.

If the robe system were temporarily disabled, then Nina could replace her Coral gem with the Neptune Emerald. Since she was well aware that she was in fact the true Princess of Windbloom, that meant Nagi could use her against Garderobe. Naruko never held back information that could be used against her later.

* * *

Naruko was in the air port, and Ersty had unleashed her Slave. She could end this farce now...as much as she liked Ersty she wasn't above killing a monster. She had chosen her path and she knew the consequences. Then she saw Nagi come with Nina with that smarmy look on his face.

She could see Nina had removed her original earring, though Nagi hadn't noticed it. Her left hand was clenched tightly around something.

Naruko had a very good idea what it might be.

Ersty went to kill Arika, tears streaming down her face. Sergay got in the way and Nina watched in horror as her father was cruelly slashed down.

"Otou-san!"

"Shit. Jiraiya, can you heal him of that wound?" asked Naruko.

"_My healing ability isn't on par with Tsunade, but a basic slash like that should be doable. Get him out of there before your girlfriend does something stupid!"_

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Four streaks of orange and blond ran past the injured man, grabbing him and evacuating him from the area to where Jiraiya was.

"He'll live, Nina-chan. Now, are you going to allow the coward who orchestrated this farce get away with trying to kill him?" called out Naruko. No one recognized her except Nina.

Nina looked at Nagi with absolute anger and betrayal in her eyes. She took the earring she had been clutching in her left hand and put it in place of where her Coral gem once was.

"How interesting... I didn't know you already had a Meister Gem on you Nina-chan. But it's useless without the other one," said Nagi.

"Nina Wang," said the masked girl.

"I know," said Nina. She jumped off the roof and towards the girl.

"Oh? And who might you be?" asked Nagi.

"Someone sent to end this farce," said Naruko flatly. She looked at Nina, who was at her side.

"Nina Wang, Otome of the Neptune Emerald, do you acknowledge me as your Master?"

"Yes."

"Then hear me... In my name, I hereby free your powers," said Naruko, moving the mask so she could kiss the earring.

"Yes, Master!" said Nina.

"Shall we?" asked Naruko grinning.

"_Materialize!"_ came the twin cries.

Naruko's disguise over her earring fell off as she and Nina materialized their robes.

"Impossible! You can't Materialize your robes without a Master unless..." said Smith.

"In the name of the hidden Sixth Pillar and that of the Head of the Uzumaki Clan, I authorized my own robes. Too bad you idiots didn't listen to the rumors," said Naruko smirking.

"Where did you find the Neptune Emerald?" asked Nagi.

"There's a fascinating series of ruins in your country that haven't been fully explored," said Naruko... "Too bad it's lost most of the good stuff."

It was clear who had taken it too.

"Naruko-itoko, what's going on?" asked Arika.

"Arika, get your Master out of here. Nina and I can handle these bozos..."

"R-right..." said Arika, grabbing Mashiro. She flew off before anyone could stop her while Aoi took Mikoto and left.

"Nina, you're my back-up, okay?"

"Understood...partner," said Nina.

"I'm sorry Ersty, but you've chosen your own path when you brought that out," said Naruko apologetically.

Ersty was crying even more now, as she knew what the girl would do. There was no hesitation...Naruko destroyed the Slave with a single strike of her Rasengan.

Nina had her own tears watching her friend fade away, but this was war.

"Nina, let's get out of here before reinforcements arrive," said Naruko.

"R-right..."


	8. Chapter 8

Akira looked at the two Otome who appeared without warning in Zipang.

"I see things have gotten bad, if you're wearing your true robes Naruko-san," said Akira.

As Clan Head of the Uzumaki, Akira should normally call her Naruko-sama. However Naruko understood that Akira and most of the clan were still loyal to Takumi, so she suggested that Akira treat her like an equal instead.

"Nagi and the Schwarz have made their move. They've disrupted the Otome system. Only Otome with Masters can still fight...or those who operate on a completely different system," said Naruko, removing her mask.

Nina turned off her robes and waited patiently behind Naruko.

"Zipang will not get involved in this dispute...not immediately at any rate."

"I'm not asking Zipang to do anything... I'm asking that you help me train my Otome in the ways of the shinobi."

Akira looked at the surprised Nina.

"Your...Otome?"

Naruko showed her ring...and Akira could see the counterpart on Nina's left ear.

"I see. Well that's an entirely different matter. Training the clan head's Otome in how to fight like a shinobi is perfectly acceptable, especially since you don't actually hold any allegiance to Windbloom," said Akira.

"And I can help Nina unlock her chakra coils."

"How?"

"The Ninth of Ten is in me, and I have someone who knows how to transfer a tail to a secondary host. It would only be temporary, but she should be able to hold onto enough to be a journeyman and hopefully practice can turn her into an Elite."

"First let's get you settled inside the clan and alert them to what's going on," said Akira.

* * *

"Uzumaki-san," said Takumi.

"Takumi-san," said Naruko with a wave.

"I hear you took on an Otome."

"It was either take her under my wing, or allow Artai to use the cursed Otome Gem that went missing. Frankly I think we could all use a break from him unleashing the Harmonium on us," said Naruko.

"Duke Nagi has the Harmonium?"

"It's directly under Fuka Palace. All he would need is an Otome, someone with the song...and the rightful heir of Windbloom."

"So he needs someone other than Mashiro-san," said Takumi.

"Nina Wang is the true Princess of Windbloom, but she chose to become an Otome instead. Should Nagi get his claws into her, he would have all he needed to activate and control the Harmonium. You can see why I was quick to have Nina become my Otome, despite the fact I was supposed to remain undercover as a Coral until graduation," said Naruko.

"Why did you come to Zipang? We cannot interfere in this matter, no matter what Nagi has, unless they threaten us directly," asked Takumi.

"You are aware of the origins behind Akira's clan are you not? Less than fifty years ago, the Uzumaki of Uzushiogakure went missing during a battle for their village. Many assume them to be wiped out...as did I until Akira informed me of her original name. I came not to ask for help from Zipang, but from my clan to train Nina Wang in the ways of the shinobi."

"Which is something that doesn't involve the country of Zipang directly, but from a specific clan," said Takumi, seeing her idea.

"I plan to reopen the path from this world and the one that was lost. And I will restore the clan and the village we once had back to it's original state. But in order for the path to be opened both ways, we have to deal with Nagi first. The only thing I ask of Zipang is that you lend us your shinobi during the final battle between the Otome and the Slaves."

"Which is something we can do without getting into trouble later."

"So, do you think my plan will work?"

"We can only hope," said Takumi.

* * *

Akira looked at Nina.

"Lady Naruko may have chosen you for an Otome, but here you will find your robes are useless except as armor. We are going to bring you up to speed in how to fight like a shinobi."

"I'm ready," said Nina.

She had gotten word through Jiraiya that her father was secured far from the fighting. The last thing they needed was for Nagi to use Sergay against Nina.

"A shinobi must be a master of silent movement. Let's see how well you do," said Akira.

Nina had to go through an exhausting obstacle course, all without making a small meter move too far. If she made too much noise, then she had to start again.

Just to prove a point, Naruko flew through the course and barely made the needle move. All while wearing her usual weights.

Nina could barely make it through ten traps without the needle being in the red.

"Not bad for someone who's never trained in silent movement. But it could be better. Next is the fighting exams."

Nina thought she could do better in that...but she ended up being beaten by a ten year old.

"A shinobi is not an Otome. We don't fight fair, and we'll use any dirty trick we need to win. Even if it's something that you might consider cruel. We are masters of disguise, and we can kill without leaving evidence of what we've done."

Next came the physical challenges. Here she was at least able to pass, barely.

"Much better. A shinobi is not some lumbering oaf or a drunken brawler. We must be able to move and move quickly in order to complete a task."

"Otome are good fighters," said Nina.

"Yes, but they also fight under a strict set of rules. Shinobi will do anything to win. And to do that, we need to be in top shape."

The last test was a basic history exam. Nina flunked that one, but she expected to.

"All in all, you are an excellent Otome...but a lack-luster shinobi. We'll have to work on that," said Akira.

Nina was clearly confused as to why Naruko wanted her to go through this training in the first place.

"You don't get why Naruko-sama asked us to train you, right?" asked Akira.

"No, I don't."

"It's simple really. She has to go back to her own world eventually, and she wants you to come with her. Once the path is reopened, we'll be able to bring back a lot of lost knowledge. She chose you to be her partner, which means she thinks you have the potential to keep up with her. The fact she chose you to be her partner shows how much she trusts you."

"So what do I need to do?" asked Nina.

"First we need to get you up to speed. At least chunin level. Then we'll start on the things Naruko brought back to us."

"You mean her jutsu?"

"Our clan had slowly lost our knowledge of jutsu. She brought back what we forgot. Once you can handle the easy stuff, we'll teach you how to do the same thing...and all without your robes."

"Let's get started then."

* * *

Alyssa was back. And this time she brought someone with her.

"_Naruko-chan, meet Fumi...or as the Otome call her, the Predecessor."_

Naruko bowed to Lady Fumi.

"_I'm sorry about the mess my Otome system has caused. I can't believe the Schwarz were so callous as to use the body of Arika's mother to disable the system! It's a complete mockery of my work!" _said Fumi.

"At least we were able to stop the Harmonium from falling into their hands. The amount of destruction they could have caused alone with just that..."

"_When do you plan to give Nina the tail?"_ asked Alyssa.

"Once she understands about the demon, and has managed to pass most of Akira's tests."

"_I'm glad you found someone you can trust, Naruko-chan,"_ said Alyssa.

Naruko smiled. It was long past time she had someone she knew would accept her completely.

* * *

Nina leaned against the chair exhausted. Akira was a stricter task master than Ms. Maria ever was. Now, however, was time for more scholarly activities. Namely the history of the Elemental Countries, and the politics behind the Hidden Villages.

Naruko would give a basic overview, but it was Jiraiya who would bring her up to speed.

So Naruko stared on the Leaf village and worked her way down from what she remembered after that raid on the Academy library. It was about time all those boring as hell books were put to good use.

The fact Nina wasn't alone in her suffering meant she had to answer questions from Akira, among others.

Meanwhile, Arika and Mashiro were having their own troubles. They had to find a way to undo the damage Nagi and the Schwarz did to the Otome system in order to regain control of Windbloom. They had no idea where Nina and Naruko were, only that they hadn't been captured by Nagi just yet.

Naruko had Jiraiya teach the class about the Bijuu, since this particular subject hit a little too close to home for her. She did however gauge Nina's reaction to the beasts and their containers.

Nina was horrified that these people would take monsters made of energy and shove them into children without any regards to the consequences, and then treat the children like an extension of the demon they carried as if it was their fault they had a demon sealed in them.

Then came the real shock.

Finding out her partner had the strongest of the nine demons sealed inside her. The other shinobi who mostly listened in for a refresher course, didn't look a bit surprised at the news.

According to Jiraiya, the Uzumaki came up with the first seals for the bijuu...and Mito was the first of the three containers for the fox and she had done it without any help from her clan. Hearing about the Bijuu and still treating Naruko like she should have been treated, with respect and dignity, was a real eye opener.

Which was why Naruko decided to let Nina meet the fox face-to-face.

He had already agreed to help her bring Nina up to speed in the shinobi arts since she had told him of her plans to kill the traitorous Uchiha brat who sent her here. He never liked Sasuke, and would gladly see the boy dead for the insult.

* * *

Nina was knobby-kneed when she came face to face with a fox easily the size of the Predecessor's Tomb, if not bigger. Suddenly the idea of a monster capable of destroying mountains didn't seem so far-fetched.

"_**So you are the little runt my jailor wants me to help. I must say I am impressed you were able to drill into her rather thick head about how to act around important people."**_

"Oi, Chuckles, drop the mightier-than-thou speech," said Naruko with a scowl.

"_**Hmph. Well it's still an improvement."**_

Nina finally found her voice.

"This is the demon sealed inside of you?"

"His name is the Kyuubi no Yoko...if he has a real name I have yet to learn it. I just call him Chuckles to piss him off," said Naruko.

"And that village...they treated you like scum just because they sealed him in you without even giving you a choice in the matter?" said Nina.

She had heard how most villages treated their 'living weapons' and she was appalled. Naruko didn't act or behave like a demon, but like someone abused and neglected most of their life. She was cheerful, naïve, and unusually blunt when annoyed. She wasn't a demon.

Hearing about Konoha from Naruko while they made her go through counseling sessions had hammered home how biased they were about her existence. Seeing how the shinobi here treated her only made her blood boil at the thought of someone hurting Naruko like that ever again.

Sure, this demon was terrifying...but he wasn't Naruko and never would be.

"So what do you say Nina-chan? Still want to be around me even after meeting Chuckles here?" asked Naruko.

Nina saw from her eyes that she didn't want to believe Nina would stay, but still had hope she would.

Nina walked up to Naruko...and instead of slapping her (her first instinct) she did something the girl was very familiar with.

She pinched her whisker marks on each cheek.

"He doesn't have any tears from this, which means you are still the same Naruko I agreed to be my Master. I'm not going to leave you because you have a tall, fuzzy fox in your stomach. Face it Naruko, you're stuck with me until you decide to end our contract," said Nina flatly.

Naruko had tears in her eyes, and they weren't from the pain of having her cheeks pinched so hard.

"Nina-chan!" she said crying.

The fox chuckled. It was about time his jailor had someone who accepted her completely and didn't want to steal his power from him.

* * *

"So how are we going to do this?" asked Akira.

"I have a plan in progress. The Kyuubi has agreed to donate an entire tail to Nina to wake up her chakra network, provided that when she finally figures out how to maintain it on her own that she give back most of what he gives her."

"Basically once she gets the hang of water-walking, right?" said Akira.

"Exactly. By that time her own system of chakra coils will be as fully formed as a chunin at the very least, which is more than enough to get something done."

"So how do you plan to transfer the chakra?" asked Akira. Even she had started this training when she was a child...five at the most.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," said Naruko.

"We'll have the infirmary ready for her," said Akira.

* * *

Nina was sitting down on a sealing circle while Naruko worked. Once she settled into a meditative state, she opened her eyes.

"Let's begin. Alyssa, Fumi, you go first."

Nina saw to whispers of what had once been living people settle down on the other two spots.

Fumi, who looked far too much like the Predecessor to be a coincidence, was in the circle directly above her. Alyssa, who looked a lot like Naruko only without the whisker marks and with some innocence left, took one of the spots at her feet.

Naruko released some of her bijuu chakra into the circle...where it went through Alyssa and was directed towards Fumi.

Fumi used her presence and the Administrative power of the familiar blue star above the planet to direct the chakra through her Gem. Nina could feel the Neptune Emerald acknowledging Fumi's presence, despite the fact she had been dead for hundreds of years. It warmed up on her skin, but it never grew so hot that she had to take it off.

She could feel her nanomachines responding to the new energy, and since it came from her master it accepted it with minimal protest. Once she felt full to bursting with this odd power, she felt it cut off without warning.

"Now comes the unpleasant part. Nina, I want you to feel this new energy and direct it where it needs to go. We'll get you started on basic exercises once this is over. We'll skip leaf spinning...that crap is only good for increasing already small reserves. Tree walking would be your best bet," said Naruko, remembering her rather painful foray into chakra control.


	9. Chapter 9

It took Nina two painfully long and frustrating weeks before she got the hang of tree climbing and using chakra at all. To be fair Naruko had dumped at least a high jounin's worth of the energy on someone who barely knew what it was, and that from conversations about jutsu.

Once she got the hang of tree climbing and using chakra in general, things seemed to speed up quite a bit. It had been beyond bizarre getting the hang of hand signs (something most of the clan also had to put up with, so she wasn't alone in her suffering) but once she did it was like something clicked.

Then came the fun part...learning her chakra nature. Nina was a natural at water style, something Naruko immediately attributed to the fact she wore the Neptune Emerald, a distinctly water-specific Gem, when she first had her coils unlocked. Another surprising thing was her affinity towards healing chakra.

Naruko suspected that to be a gift from the fox, though she couldn't prove it. He hated Genjutsu with a passion.

Exactly three months since their escape from Windbloom and making a contract with Naruko, Nina Wang returned the chakra she 'borrowed' (for lack of a better term) from the Fox. Most of it went back aside from the bits and pieces left over from the conversion, leaving her with a mid-chunin's worth of the stuff.

Her sixteenth birthday, which had come and gone with a bit more fanfare than she was used to (mostly because Nina had let it slip it was her birthday and Akira had Takumi help plan the party when informed of Naruko's less than pleasant past) so Naruko was enjoying what she considered her vacation.

By the time Nina was roughly up to low-chunin standards (teaching her shadow clone had helped immensely) Naruko went in search of Arika...and found her in the Aswald village.

* * *

"Naruko-chan!" said Arika in surprise.

"Arika, good to see you well. Where's Mashiro?" asked Naruko.

"She's inside."

"Who's there?" called out one of the Aswald.

Naruko stepped out, her mask still firmly in place.

"Who or what are you?"

"My name is Uzumaki Naruko, the Hidden Pillar. I'm an Otome who doesn't rely on robes to fight my battles."

"Who sent you?"

"I came looking for my cousin to insure she was safe. If you are worried that I am after you and yours, you can relax. I could care less about you or the villagers."

"If that's true, then take off your mask," said Midori, stepping from the shadows.

Naruko grinned. This would be fun.

She slowly removed her mask, making sure they saw her movements.

"Shall we get down to business or what?"

"So you are a shinobi. That explains a lot. We have heard old stories about the shinobi sect of Earth, but I wasn't aware that technology had slid backwards so much," said Midori.

"I know, right? After a while seals became the best way to determine intelligence and we're only now using television. Anyway you don't have to worry about me. My only allegiance is to my clan, and they don't care about you or your village at the moment. Our main priority is ending this mess with as few deaths as possible and then fixing up the village that they had to leave during the war."

"And what of this Nina Wang, the girl Arika said can control the Harmonium?" asked Midori. She wasn't letting Nagi get his hands on something that powerful without a fight.

Naruko held up her right hand, which had an odd ring on it. It took Midori three seconds to recognize the Meister Gem, even if she didn't know which one it was.

"Nina isn't going to be a problem. She's in Zipang with what's left of my clan learning the shinobi arts. And she's pretty damn pissed at Nagi for forcing Ersty to attack Arika and nearly killing her father."

"Nina's alive?" asked Arika.

"She's alive and well. I would know if she were dead, because this Meister Gem would have killed me since we're connected to it," said Naruko.

"What of the cursed Gem that Nagi has?" asked Midori.

"What cursed Gem?"

"Our reports said that Nagi has the Ultimate Black Diamond in his possession," said Midori.

"I have no idea. He might have been wanting to make Nina his Otome, but I beat him to it. We left before he could capture us once Arika and Mashiro were safe."

Midori sighed with relief. Nina couldn't disobey her Master, it was against an Otome's code of conduct. Never had and Otome gone against a direct order, though Arika came the closest she had ever seen with her arguments with Mashiro.

Then again Arika barely had any training as an Otome...the subservient attitude hadn't been fully ingrained into her yet. Hell, she had no idea what an Otome _was_ until she came to Windbloom.

Naruko was much the same, only her level of subservience was a much finer matter. She would show respect and listen to orders, but if she didn't agree to them she would ignore them completely...consequences be damned.

She was most certainly a shinobi first, Otome second. And shinobi had a different code of conduct when it came to serving someone.

Probably why she had shown up with a Pillar Gem instead of a Meister one.

Midori liked her blunt manner immediately. It was refreshing.

"So what can you give the Aswald?"

"Chakra and shinobi training. When we retake Windbloom and put an end to this Valkyrie nonsense, I will tell the clan that you and your clan are welcome to join our shinobi ranks and to share the knowledge. It would allow your people to fight on par with the Otome without using any technology and it would be available to _all_ genders. There's also none of that 'no sex with men' nonsense that the Otome have going."

"Wait, you mean that the girls would be free to have families and still fight?" said Midori in shock.

That was the main drawback to the Otome system...girls were openly encouraged to date other girls and to shy away from men lest they lose their powers.

Naruko suspected Fumi Himeno had done that as a way to keep the population down and the men from trying to keep the girls from fighting alongside them. Which would make her an extreme feminist.

"Chakra doesn't rely on machines like robes do. In fact it's made by the body naturally, though you would need training from an early age to access it properly. Hell, back in Konoha there is an entire division of men and women who use sex appeal to ensnare and trap others."

"What do you get in return?"

"We'll share our techniques in exchange for your system of summoning creatures like your steed. It would be a fair trade, since chakra training also includes being able to seal massive objects into easy to carry scrolls and books, and healing without the use of machines. And there's the fact that if you have good enough control you can do things like this..." said Naruko, who easily lifted the biggest of the Cyborgs with one hand.

"Once we retake Garderobe, I'll consider the offer. We need to sort out this mess first," said Midori. Though from the look on her face she was seriously considering to an agreement.

Being able to fight on the same terms with an Otome without the drawback of not being able to have relations with a certain gender was extremely tempting, even if the cost was sharing their technology.

Naruko stayed with Arika for a few hours before Midori came back to get her.

"I have to admit, the offer is pretty good. But why would you offer it to a supposedly cursed clan responsible for the death of Arika's mother?" asked Midori. She had to know Naruko's intentions first.

"I wasn't even planning to offer it...until I saw how you acted around the kids. You're a very good leader Midori, better than most I've met. You genuinely care for your people, and seeing these kids with that strange disease and how you kept smiling despite of it...well it really struck home. Besides, something tells me that your people wouldn't abuse it like most of the nations would. You have all this technology to take over a country, yet you haven't. You could steal supplies from people, but you don't. Which makes me believe that you and the others are worth helping, even if it means sharing the secrets of the shinobi," said Naruko.

"You want us to _what_?" asked Akira.

"Think about it this way. We turn the so called cursed clan into an ally. They share their technology with us when we return to Uzushio. That gives us an edge against the other nations and allows us an advantage in case we're attacked again. We can also send girls to become Otome that are loyal to certain commanders who are trustworthy, then allow them to have families of their own once they hit a certain age."

"Which would give us a power advantage."

"There is also the fact that the Elemental Countries has been making great headway in the field of in-vitriol fertilization and surrogates."

"What's that?" asked Akira.

"Allowing girls to have children without actually doing the act. From what I can tell that aspect of medical science was never fully explored, and I'm rather curious as to what it is about men that breaks down the nanomachines. If possible we might be able to help career Otome have children without forcing them to lose their abilities."

Akira's eyes widened.

"What if it's the process of child bearing that breaks the machines down?"

"Then we'll give proper compensation. Otherwise I can only assume that they would need another blood bag full of nanomachines to replace the ones lost during child bearing."

"This is huge...if it's possible for an Otome to have children without losing their powers..." said Akira.

"Then the balance of power will shift drastically."

"I can honestly say you scare me sometimes Naruko," said Akira.

* * *

"Ready Nina-chan?" said Naruko. Because of the delicate situation in Windbloom at the moment, and the fact Arika and Mashiro were currently hiding in the Black Valley with the missing Meister who was also Takumi's older sister. Miyu had been giving Naruko steady updates on everyone's locations. Natsuki and Nao were in Aries, Shizuru had been captured, and several nations were on the move to counter the very real threat Nagi had made with his new Valkyrie system.

Since Miyu could operate without anyone noticing her, she had agreed to coordinate with everyone.

Akira was just glad that the clan would have some real battle experience with jutsu before some of the clan went home to repair Uzu.

Jiraiya had already started to coordinate with Tazuna from Wave to start repairs to the place. The old drunk was happy to be of service to the same girl who saved his country. And really, Naruko deserved to live in a village that didn't hate her for existing and still keep her dream of being a shinobi.

Naruko bent down to Nina's ear and whispered the activating phrase before she kissed it.

The words scrawled across the GEM before Nina stood up and Materialized her Robe. Today was the day Naruko trained her in using Jutsu while her robe was on. She had gotten most of the basics down, particularly after Naruko showed her the shadow clone (she could make five per day) but this was her first real application with her robe on.

"Let's play Nina!" said Naruko grinning.

Nina's hands flew through the hand signs Jiraiya had painstakingly showed her and several others.

"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!" said Nina.

The kirigakure jutsu was fairly simple in it's effectiveness...and it required less than one would think chakra wise, especially with available water.

Since they were in the middle of a pool on a floating barge, this meant Nina could experiment without exhausting herself and still have time to get some real combat practice in.

Unlike Garderobe, when Naruko always pulled her punches, this time she would barely be holding back. Nina had to attack her with everything she had or else Naruko would come at her.

Nina slipped into the mist, using her Robe silently to sneak up on Naruko.

On the sides of the pool itself, the Uzumaki clan watched the fight and was silently critiquing it so they could iron out Nina's fighting ability. She was decent, but without seeing her real skill level when aiming to kill instead of training, they needed to make her much better.

Naruko took the hit with ease. For some reason, any damage Nina took with her Meister GEM active didn't translate back to Naruko. There were two running theories as to why at this point.

One, the fox or the Uzumaki bloodline worked in overdrive during those times...or the chakra was blocking that odd signal.

Naruko never did understand how that system worked. Nor why it was in place at all. Eventually she had Alyssa ask Fuumi, who stuck around and would stay around until this entire mess was dealt with.

Apparently the first Otome had been shinobi originally, but since Fuumi didn't want her kunoichi going out on suicide missions on the order of their 'Master' she put a fail-safe in place for the girls.

A Master was far more likely to keep the girls alive if their own life were to be put at stake as well. It could be turned off, but that was nearly impossible unless you had the right technology and knew the password.

Or in the case of Miyu, had been around to help create the system and had the password already uploaded in the event of an emergency.

There were, however, other ways to go around that particular fail safe. Namely the very energy the Otome GEMs operated on to begin with.

Chakra. It was how Naruko had been able to override the GEMs whenever she wanted, and why she had shown up on the computer at all.

Naruko, of course, hadn't been idle during the month Nina spent in hellish training.

When informed of Sage Chakra by Fuumi, she summoned up one of the toads to explain it to her.

During that month Nina was given a crash course on shinobi warfare and skills, Naruko had been undergoing Sage training though the toads. It was earlier than she should have gone through it, but with the revelation that the Otome GEMs were actually little more than chakra regulators for civilians who had no idea what that was...well, Naruko jumped at the chance, even if she did get quite a few head whacks for it.

Of course she had to reign in her newly developed response of pounding the face of whoever did the hitting on the head in (Nina and Nao's work) but it took her three weeks to get up to a rookie Sage level.

Not much, but considering Jiraiya started it much later than her and was barely an adept, still requiring the toads to control the flow...well, it was highly impressive.

Miyu seemed to take Naruko's requests in stride, mostly because the only thing Naruko asked her to do was provide reliable communication between allies and because she fully planned to let Miyu have a go at Nagi to tell him _exactly_ how she felt about him using the body of Alyssa's descendant to make such a horrifying mockery of the Otome system. And if John Smith was still alive...well, he would find himself under the rather angry scrutiny of the Uzumaki clan.

You don't mess with a noted shinobi clan who's fully prepared to gut you. Especially when their clan head is threatened.

Akira watched the fight and looked at Nina with approval. She had come a long way from the unsure girl she had been when Naruko showed up with her.

Nina seemed to take the life of a bound shinobi better than she ever had to an Otome. Shinobi could at least disagree with a direct order. They could live their own lives outside of duty.

All she really needed was the skills to go with it.

Finally Naruko had Nina in a choke hold, her hand on her throat.

"You're good...better than Haruno ever was. I'd say you're at least Hinata-chan level at best, Ino-level at worst. And considering you were a civvie before now, that's pretty damn impressive on it's own."

"Do I pass?" she had to ask.

"You pass with flying colors! Now we can finally head to the true Black Valley and meet up with Arika and the others!" said Naruko gleefully.


	10. Chapter 10

Akira looked at her friend, her clan Head.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked. The two had been there for nearly two months, and in that time Naruko had managed to bring back hope to her clan.

"With this, all ties to this world are severed and Nagi will never be able to use her. And it will make it that much easier to keep her safe when I open the Way," said Naruko.

In order to protect Nina from Nagi and everyone else once the shinobi came back, Naruko was going to do something drastic. It wasn't enough that Nina was her Otome. Otome could be taken out if one used the right technology or removed her nanomachines.

Naruko wanted to keep her safe from her soon-to-be former village and everyone else as well. Nina would be considered a clanless orphan in the Elemental Countries, not worth noting and someone that is easily expendable to a shinobi commander. Bringing her fully into the Uzumaki clan would change that.

Nina had no objections to losing her name and connections to her 'father'. Sergay had used her and betrayed her, and he was too close to Nagi who would have corrupted her soul. She was tired of being an Otome anyway.

"Very well. But you do realize what this means if she is taken in under _your_ name right?" said Akira.

There were two ways to be adopted into a shinobi clan. One was as a family member...the other was through marriage. In this case due to the nature of the Otome contract, Nina would be in most ways of the word Naruko's "wife" to the shinobi countries. Considering some of the tactics Naruko knew Danzo used to brainwash people, this was honestly the best method she had to protect them both.

You couldn't force someone to marry a person they hated if they already were after all.

"Alright. What did _he_ have to say about this?" asked Akira. It was obvious who _he_ was, as few people inspired heights of anger and disgust among females like Jiraiya did.

"He's torn between crowing about me having such a 'cute' partner and writing a yuri novel that isn't faked for a change," said Naruko annoyed.

She had beaten the crap out of him with the other girls when they caught him peeping.

"Where's Nina anyway?"

"Getting ready."

* * *

"Nina Wang, Otome of the Neptune Emerald. In this sacred area, do you solemnly swear to honor the ways of the Uzumaki clan, the love of clan head, and the loyalty to the clan name?" intoned the Elder.

"I do."

"Do you, Uzumaki Naruko, Head of the Uzumaki clan and third master of the Kyuubi no Yoko, agree to take this girl in as your partner in all ways from this day forth and accept her oath to this clan?" he asked.

"I do."

"Then henceforth among our clan, you shall be an Uzumaki. Your children shall bear our name and our clan's symbol. Should you ever betray us, your life is forfeit. Arise, Uzumaki and take on your new name with pride," intoned the Elder.

Nina Wang, daughter of Sergay and the true Princess of Windbloom died as Nozomi Uzumaki stood up to accept the clan symbol. Naruko had no idea that all Uzumaki were given the traditional swirl that was on every jounin and chunin's vest upon induction to the shinobi way of life. But she had worn the symbol anyway...probably because Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't wanted the girl to lose her heritage.

"Welcome to the Uzumaki clan, Nozomi Uzumaki," he smiled.

Nozomi smiled. For the first time in a long time, her destiny was hers alone to make. Though she wouldn't go by her new name until after this mess was over and she was in Naruko's home.

* * *

Naruko and Nina flew to where the Black Valley was, generally speaking, thanks to the information Miyu had given her.

Well...that and the fact that Miyu had mentioned off hand that the Otome stationed there could make very good ramen, according to the one in charge of the area.

Naruko had to be all but restrained when she heard the words 'good' and 'ramen' in the same sentence. Nina had to grab her pigtails for the first time in months!

Strangely, most of the clan seemed inclined to follow that lead to this mystery Otome when they heard about this as well. It appeared ramen addiction was entirely genetic.

"I still don't get why this Tsunade laughed when she heard the way I was let into the clan," said Nina.

"Do you know what the general purpose of a significant other is, and why most shinobi rarely marry?" asked Naruko rhetorically.

"A husband or wife provided companionship, and occasionally reigns in the other...oh you have got to be _kidding_ me."

"Tsunade apparently believes you'll reign in my more idiotic tendencies. The better chance is that you'll keep me from committing political suicide," chuckled Naruko darkly.

"That is at least doable," snapped Nina.

"But in all seriousness, shinobi rarely if ever marry. Since what I did was the equivalent of marrying you in our world, that's considered highly unusual, especially since I was even considering the idea of marriage at my age. Plus there's the fact you're a girl as well."

"So what?"

Naruko leveled a look at her, flying backwards.

"What we just went through was the equivalent of a civil union without the rings. Most same-gender partners aren't even _allowed_ to do a civil union, especially when one of them is a clan head. Then there's the fact that according to shinobi laws, your ability as an Otome is a valuable military asset. To be honest this was possibly the one way I could protect you from those bastards in the village."

"Plus the fact that Jiraiya already sent notice to Konoha about the Uzumaki clan still being very much alive and active..."

"Bonus. Last I heard Uzu was almost inhabitable, and since the clan refuses to settle in Konoha, they can't do anything about it since Tsunade pre-approved my transfer to a former ally."

Actually it was more along the lines of them sending a scroll with the Uzumaki clan symbol with the simple line of "We're taking back our family."

Tsunade, being half Uzumaki herself and knowing that the brat deserved to be happy for once, had signed off on the transfer. The idiot Elders assumed she had sent the girl off to Suna in the hopes of a political match with the Kazekage's son (now Kazekage himself) Gaara. Had they known Naruko had accidentally found, retrained, and planned to bring back the full force of the Uzumaki on the unsuspecting Elemental Countries...well, they would have done a lot less cheering and a lot more cursing and weeping.

Mostly because the clan was less than happy with the treatment of the only one to give them hope and their heritage back.

There were even a few who had Jiraiya drop them off in the Summons realm to regain their lost contracts so that they could really do some damage.

Some had decided to head home early to prepare the way for the rest.

Finally they landed in a spot that looked rather ordinary really.

Naruko went in first and Nina grabbed her hand before she vanished.

They walked for what seemed like hours...only for Nina to hear a yelp of surprise as Naruko was grabbed by a net. She easily cut through it, but it was the principle of the thing.

* * *

Twenty minutes and a pointless game of tag later, and Nina finally saw Arika again.

She did, however, have a tight grip on Naruko's long hair to keep her from all but jumping into the ramen pot.

Nina wasn't surprised in the _least_ when Naruko immediately bonded with Mikoto the Cat Goddess once she learned they had a shared love of ramen.

"So...what's your plan of attack for dealing with the idiots in your castle?" asked Naruko.

"The other countries will distract the Valkyries and the Slaves while Arika and I slip in to disable the system," said Mashiro.

Mikoto slurped down some more noodles before she said "I can make Mr. Fuzzy your Child...but he'll have to give you his real name."

"Child?" said Naruko.

Mikoto gave her an odd look.

"You didn't know?" she said.

"Know what?"

Mikoto bared her back and showed Naruko the odd marking. It was some sort of open circle with a dot in the middle.

"I'm the last HiME left. Your demon is one of the offspring of the only Child to operate inside the airless regions of space. It's why they moved to another dimension...she had been going out of control."

Seeing everyone's blank looks, Mikoto explained in detail. Alyssa and Fumi came to pipe in as well...thanks to the unique nature of the Black Valley, everyone could see them.

"A long time ago there was a series of battles called Mai-battles. There were twelve girls with a unique gift given a summon-like creature called a Child. I say summon-like because unlike the Toad summons you have Naruko-chan, these didn't require chakra to bring out. However this gift came at a cost. Should the Child ever be defeated, then the one most precious to the HiME, which is what they were called as a whole, would die instantly. During the last battle, two HiME were left alive and the Obsidian Palace crumbled. However, one of the HiME from a previous battle named Mashiro used her powers to reset the battle in a way that restored all the Childs that had been killed."

Mikoto shook her head.

"There was the problem however. One of the HiME during that last war had been fake. Her Child had been very real, but her powers were manufactured by foolish humans. Her Child, Artemis, went out of control after the Battle had finally ended. Because it was a fake Child, Alyssa couldn't fully control it and it went berserk. It eventually became what the shinobi now call the Juubi. A man rose up called the Sage of Six Paths and split Artemis into nine different Childs which became the Bijuu...but Alyssa had already left that world to come here."

"Wait, you mean all that technology came from _my_ world? But I don't even recognize half this stuff!" said Naruko.

"That's because your world slipped back into a more primitive time. Anything not useful for survival was discarded, and most of the sciences slid backwards because they had to focus on surviving a chakra-rich environment thanks to the powers that Artemis set loose. I'm surprised you managed to break through the barrier I had to put in place with Miyu...it should have discouraged shinobi from coming through."

"I'm an Uzumaki."

"That explains it. Uzumaki are very good at fuinjutsu which made the barrier. It must have recognized the bloodline and let you through," said Mikoto.

Naruko focused inward. She looked at the Fox and he sighed.

"**I have no objections to becoming a Child again. But only if you let me give Konoha a well deserved scare and let me punt any Uchiha we run into,"** he said flatly.

"Deal."

"**Very well, my HiME...my name is..."**

"He said his name is Kurama and he has no objections," said Naruko.

"After dinner we'll settle that," said Mikoto.

* * *

Naruko sat in a dark place. Mikoto couldn't come down there because her Child was waiting for a new HiME, but she could.

Focusing inward, she found Kyuubi...no, Kurama. According to Mikoto, in order to make Kurama her Child she had to work around the seal that kept him from escaping and find a small crack he could materialize from.

So here she was inside her seal.

"**So brat...how do you want to work this?"** asked Kurama.

"How does a Child normally work?" asked Naruko.

"**Typically the HiME awakens their Element, a weapon specific to them alone. Mikoto-sama for example, had a black sword called Miroku. I believe Mai's previous incarnation had a pair of bracelets that went around her wrists and ankles that allowed her to fly, and Natsuki's incarnation had a pair of guns."**

"What did they look like?" asked Naruko eagerly.

Because of where they were, Kurama pulled up a few memories from the Child that had passed for her to watch.

"Mai's ability looks awesome."

"**It might be easier to manifest a version of her Element than the others considering your heritage. I want you to focus on making your chakra solid, something like the Rasengan, but different."**

Naruko stuck her tongue out and concentrating on making her chakra solid. She could feel something at the edge of her fingers, but it was slippery.

"**Now imagine it taking it's natural form. Don't force it, let it flow out of you,"**coached Kurama.

She took a deep breath and let her chakra flow out of her. Rasengan training was great for times like these. Slowly and somewhat sloppily, her chakra which was usually blue (or when drawing on Kurama a crimson red) began to glow gold.

Something, whatever was about to formed most likely, clicked into place. It was like something she had reached for her entire life had found what it needed. Feeling something solid in her hands, she opened them.

There in her hands was a strange staff. It was golden colored thing, and it pulsed with her chakra.

"**Now add some elemental chakra to it."**

She added her primary ability, Wind, and two large fans appeared. The top one was much larger than the bottom, and it seemed to be primarily for flight. Then she switched to water...it became a trident. Lightning became a naginata with electric designs. Fire became a zanbato. Earth, however, was the most surprising because it turned into a gigantic hammer.

She had been experimenting with chakra elements since Akira mentioned them and they found out that Nina's ability to use water chakra bordered on the level of the Shodai Hokage. She could already belt out a few water dragon attacks with her robe on at least three times without being drained...Naruko couldn't wait to see how she handled some of the more chakra intensive water jutsu.

"**Now that you have your Element, we'll work on summoning me out. Due to the unique nature of HiME, it's not exactly _covered_ by this particular seal. However because of the nature of summoning a Child, it also means I would be bound to your line until something breaks our connection."**

"I think...from what Mikoto said earlier...you were already bound to me," said Naruko. Kurama had taken a nap while they polished off the ramen and Mikoto explained about the summoning process.

"**Che...just because I've literally been with your since before you were born doesn't mean I enjoy the idea of being bound as your Child!"** snapped Kurama.

"What does that mean?!" said Naruko angrily.

"**It means you annoying girl, that I was inside your mother before you. Kushina was my container when you were conceived and she kept using my chakra during missions until she learned she was pregnant. In short, the reason why you have such ease using my powers is because my chakra already mixed naturally with _yours_. We've literally been together our entire lives," **said Kurama flatly.

"Which means me turning you into my Child isn't as far-fetched as most. Mikoto-chan said there were some unique circumstances that would allow this to be possible, though she never said why."

"**Either way, I want some freedom from this sewer. I hate this cage!"**

Naruko walked past the bars, allowing her Element to shatter into pieces.

"Kurama, we're in this together no matter what. You've been with me for the good times and the bad, and I would be happy to be your HiME," she said gently, placing a hand on his nose.

"**Che...well you aren't as irritating as Kushina was. She used to keep me impaled in her mind when I was inside her. I suppose there are worse females to be bound to than you runt. Perhaps this partnership could work out in ways neither of us were expecting."**

Naruko could feel a bond between them settle. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. There was a level of trust between them that had been absent for so long.

She would never be alone again.

She opened her eyes into the real world and called out "Kurama!"

And behind her, a massive fox easily bigger than the newly designed palace in Windbloom appeared. He shrunk to something that could fit through the door and they walked out together side by side.

"Wow...I'm surprised you managed to convince him," said Mikoto.

"Why shouldn't I? We are partners after all," said Naruko with a chirp.


	11. Chapter 11

It was a hot day outside Windbloom when the first sounds of a real battle were heard. Nagi believed that his 'Valkyries' and the Slaves would be a match for any Otome who managed to show up. He thought that the girls who gave up their freedom for the chance at servitude were prepared for death.

He quickly realized that while the Garderobe students were being trained as warriors and protectors, they were simply not a real match for battle-hardened shinobi.

The Uzumaki Clan were seal masters. They were shinobi. They, unlike the innocent girls of Garderobe, harbored no illusions about their future or the fact that death was a part of life.

To become a shinobi is to hand over your life, your heart and your morals to the lord whom they served. You could not hesitate when you were ending an enemy's life because of their age or gender. The girls at Garderobe were truly sheltered. They had no idea what real battle or warfare was like.

There was a reason why Naruko had gotten along with Miss Maria so easily. They knew what sacrifices had to be made during war, when friend turned against friend, when blood went against blood. It was why she had offered flowers every time she had gone down into the tomb of the Otome. They had died an honorable death...they deserved to be remembered. Naruko was a warrior, born and bred, and like all warriors, she honored the dead appropriately.

If he had been faced with the collective Otome who disagreed with his attempts at overthrowing the system with a horrible parody of the Otome gems, he might have had a chance of winning. After all, he had greater numbers and while Otome were fighters, they were not killers.

That was before Zipang allowed the up-to-now secret shinobi clan of seal masters and mercenaries to join the battle. They even had a legitimate excuse for joining, despite the fact they had no Otome and didn't particularly want any.

It all boiled down to the fact that Naruko was the true Clan Head of the clan and she took offense to the fact Nagi wanted to use her vassal/wife/Otome to destroy the delicately balanced peace of a world that wasn't her own. And since the Uzumaki were following their clan head, and not the orders of their liege lord, Zipang could claim that they had gone rogue if things went wrong and they lost to Nagi's forces. Not likely, but still a possibility.

But really, when faced with hardened killers who had no issue with ending the lives of girls who chose a life they could only barely understand as servants to another, it was inevitable what would happen.

The Valkyries and Slaves were destroyed. Completely and utterly.

Naruko did her part not by unleashing Kurama, though she was sorely tempted when she saw Nagi's smug face, but by working as the Hidden Pillar of the Otome system. Besides, it was fun seeing the look of horrified shock on Nagi's face when Nina sent him flying using chakra-enhanced strength.

Suddenly the blue star above went red in color and all the limiters on the GEMs went inactive. She heard Miyu's voice telling the Otome to write their own destiny, free of their Masters.

Seeing the unholy look of glee on Naruko's face, many of the Slave Masters and the Valkyries whimpered. Then she unleashed the clones.

One Naruko was bad enough. She had been tearing a path of bodies through the enemy units... a combat-trained kunoichi with absurd pain tolerance and no problem killing people indirectly against girls who were only now getting used to being bad guys? Yeah, no match there.

Suddenly all the Valkyrie units shut down, and they were barely able to land in time. Looked like Arika had found her mother's body.

* * *

"So...why am I here again?" asked Naruko.

It had been an entire week since the retaking of Windbloom, and Naruko had been dragged back to Garderobe by her pigtails. By Nina.

"You're here so we can find a way to create a portal to Uzushiogakure and help the rebuilding the process. And we want to establish portals so that we can go back and forth without summoning jutsu," said Akira.

"Ah. So why am I here then?"

"You're going to be the first charge of the portal device," said Natsuki.

"Because of Kurama, right?"

"Alyssa said that it should only take a few months to construct a device, but we would need a source of power from the other world to make it work," said Arika. She had become the translator for the ghost when Naruko wasn't available. It had freaked her out at first, but then Alyssa told her that she could only talk to her, not interact.

"So what do we do until it's time to power it up?"

"You are going to be taking the initial survey of Uzu with the clan and dropping some of us off early. Once the device is ready, you'll be told and have to reverse summon into the Summons Realm where Mikoto will let you back through," said Natsuki flatly.

"Why are you so willing to let us leave with GEMs and the ability to materialize?" she asked.

"Because you mentioned a way for Otome to have children without relying on conventional methods, and the fact is that if we train these girls as Kunoichi then those that don't make the cut would have a chance to earn a living later," said Natsuki flatly, then added "Besides you two are the best ones we could send to see if being able to use your Robes is a viable option in the Old world."

"Point."

"Plus we kinda need scrolls with jutsu on them, and we left most of them with the people who ditched the village rather than try an experimental seal," said Akira embarrassed.

Nina and Naruko would head out first with the twenty volunteers who would see how bad the damage was. Jiraiya had contacted Tazuna, who had started most of the reconstruction efforts.

"Summoning Jutsu!" said Naruko dramatically, pouring a good deal of chakra into it. Having Kurama actually _work_ with her in exchange for either humiliating or killing the traitor Sasuke was entirely worth it in her opinion.

Gamabunta appeared, to the surprise of most of the girls...many of whom did not like toads.

"_What do you want brat? I don't see any enemies!" _he rumbled irritably.

"Need a lift to the summons realm so we can head to Uzu," she said bluntly.

"_Was wondering when you would think to reverse summon one of us,"_ said Gamabunta.

"To be fair I didn't want to be stuck in that hellhole known as Konoha until I had an option already lined up."

"_True...there is some sort of barrier around this world. I take it you finally got permission to go between it?"_

"Mikoto said it's cool now. Apparently there aren't many people who can match her in a ramen eating contest anymore, and I promised Ichiraku every time I came back," said Naruko.

Gamabunta laughed.

"_Trust you to find the only person in the world who loves Ramen as much as you do!"_ said Gamabunta. He brought out an odd box.

"What's that?"

"_There are two ways for me to do a mass reverse summon when there are people without the contract. Either I swallow them, not a pleasant experience for either party, or they come in something that I can hold onto."_

Naruko sweatdropped.

"Well?" she asked.

"BOX!" shouted the volunteers.

"_For future reference gaki, summon my brother next time. I don't exactly _enjoy_ acting as your personal transport,"_ said Gamabunta.

"Noted."

* * *

"So this is the Elemental Countries. It feels...different," said Nina.

She had agreed to go by Nozomi Uzumaki in Naruko's homeworld, mostly to avoid misunderstandings with the shinobi nations. But Naruko just called her Nina-chan despite the agreement. As far as anyone knew it was a nickname.

"How so?" asked Naruko. It didn't feel different.

"It might be because of the chakra-density," said one.

"Huh?"

"Out in the badlands, there is a number of chakra-poisoning issues. For example, part of the reason the Aswald suffer is because they have chakra paths, but don't use them. This results in a catastrophic build-up in their pathways leading to poisoning. Their disease, as far as we can tell, is the result of their chakra networks turning against them. It's why the only solution is to put their bodies into cyborgs...the machines automatically regulate their inner chakra," the only medic explained.

"...We did offer to show them how to use chakra right?" asked Naruko.

"Of course, once we found out the actual cause of their disease. They've agreed to exchange their technology so long as they could keep their autonomy," said the medic helpfully.

In fact they had agreed to marry heavily into the Uzumaki clan and split the technology evenly in exchange for a cure. Considering the shinobi had yet to screw them over like most of the countries did eventually, they were being relatively cautious.

It also helped that Naruko was going to relocate them next, once she had retrieved some Ichiraku ramen for Mikoto to try.

"What is your name anyway?"

"Tsuyu, Naruko-sama," said the medic.

"It's Naruko-chan. I'm going to be helping rebuild this place and I refuse to make my clan stand on ceremony all the damn time," said Naruko happily.

"So when do I get to meet this infamous Sakura Haruno and Hatake Kakashi?" asked Nina.

"As soon as we have a viable perimeter wall up. Or until some idiot sends them here. Either way, Tsunade has given you express permission to beat them so badly that they require medical attention if you want," said Naruko, her face darkened.

Once Nina had broken Naruko of her bizarre loyalty to Konoha's "Will of Fire" bullcrap, she had become an entirely different person when it came to shinobi terms.

Though to be fair the only thing Nina had really done was switch her obsessive loyalty to a village that had treated her like shit to her family once she knew they were still around. And that was perfectly acceptable.

So yes, her hope of actually having a friendship with Haruno and her respect for Kakashi? It was gone for good.

"Well the civilian you hired has done good work. At least enough that we can move in for now. We'll need to reapply the seals and have you power them Naru-chan, but other than that it's acceptable. Though we'll have a hell of a time rebuilding the wall," said Machiko, the oldest of the Uzumaki clan. She was almost old enough to remember the old world. For some odd reason time moved slightly faster in the other world. But only by about a couple of months.

"Tazuna-jii is good. You should see the bridge he made!" said Naruko.

Said bridge builder preened under that praise. Of course the fact that the bridge itself was named after Naruko was a mere minor detail.

The Great Uzumaki bridge was a homage to their savior and their ancient allies. To the people of Wave, it was a sign that the Uzumaki hadn't entirely abandoned them. It just took them a while to bring help.

Naruko spotted something odd.

"Is that red hair?" she asked.

She walked over to the man helping move the heavy beams.

"Are you by any chance an Uzumaki?" she asked.

"Born and bred. You Naruko, daughter of Kushina?" he asked.

"That's me!"

"You should know that the rest of the clan is slowly making their way home. Tazuna spread the word that the Main branch was rebuilding and offered a discount if we came to help. Well that and we're the only ones who know how to get past those pesky whirlpools around the island."

"So how many are left?" asked Machiko.

"Of what?"

"How many are left from those who chose to flee instead of trying the experimental seal?" she asked.

"You mean it worked?!"

"It worked. Mikoto-sama granted us permission to settle, so long as none of us tried to become Otome. Apparently she didn't want the headache."

"What's an Otome?"

Machiko looked at Naruko. She grinned.

"Nina, you up for catching dinner for everyone?"

"Let me guess. My job is to catch and cook the food while you help build the wall?"

"You're a better cook, and this is an excellent time to practice your water jutsu."

"Good point. It would be nice not to have to stand in the middle of a pool just to practice."

"Oh and if you see anyone with a headband that doesn't have this symbol (she drew the Uzumaki symbol) kill them on sight. We need to keep a low profile until we get that wall rebuilt and the defenses back up. The clan was nearly wiped out for a _reason_ after all."

"Understood," said Nina, her face hard.

Naruko brushed her lips against Nina's GEM.

"Nina Uzumaki, my Otome of the Neptune Emerald. In my name I hereby release your powers," she said.

Nina took a stance.

_"Materialize!"_

With her robes fully active (probably drawing power from the Juubi or Kurama) Nina went off the catch dinner. She would aim for the bigger fish since her Robe enhanced her strength enough to match Naruko at a third of her power. She wouldn't be punching concrete posts into rubble anytime soon, but she would make a damn good try at it.

"That was an Otome wasn't it?" deadpanned the native Uzumaki.

"Naruko-sama's personal bodyguard. She married into the clan since she didn't want to be separated by that ridiculous CRA thing most of the villages have going."

"Naruko-sama's wife?" he asked.

Machiko nodded.

"Meh. Not my business so long as she's loyal to the Clan Head," he said shrugging.

Nina came back with several large and difficult to kill fish. With the help of some of the women, they managed to make a feast of the seafood.

* * *

Tsunade looked at the report on her desk.

Someone had sent scouts to Uzushio, or what was left of it after finding suspicious activity, and it wasn't under her orders. She knew what was going on.

"Shizune, bring me Shikaku. We need to discuss sending my shinobi to their deaths without my say-so."

"Right away Lady Tsunade," said Shizune.

A few minutes later Shikaku Nara came in.

"You wanted to see me ma'am?"

"Why did you send good ANBU to their deaths?"

"Tsunade-sama, I don't know what you mean," said Shikaku, completely baffled.

"I have here a report from the ANBU commander saying you sent scouts to investigate Uzu. Scouts that have yet to return," said Tsunade.

"We had reports from our people passing through Wave that odd chakra signatures have been sensed repeatedly from the direction Uzu was in. We wanted to insure that no one was planning an attack from that direction," said Shikaku. He wondered why Tsunade even _cared_.

"You seem to be forgetting one key piece of information."

"What is that Tsunade-sama?"

"I'm half Uzumaki myself. You should have asked before sending those people to Uzushio first. It would have saved their families the pain of knowing that good ANBU died for nothing," said Tsunade.

"What?"

"One of the Uzumaki has contracted Wave through Jiraiya to rebuild the old village, and I know for a fact that the scattered remnants of the clan has been making their way home. If I wasn't Hokage I would be there already myself."

Shikaku put two and two together.

"Naruko's rebuilding Uzushio? Why?" he asked surprised.

"Jiraiya told her who her mother was, and she felt it was her responsibility to insure that the Uzumaki weren't scattered as the last of the Main Branch. Considering how I just caught that damn Civilian Council trying to banish her, again, I felt it would be easier to have her permanently stationed in a former ally's village rather than have her deal with this nonsense."

"But who killed the ANBU I sent?"

Tsunade's face was filled with open amusement.

"Probably her girlfriend. Now, don't bother sending anymore people until they make the opening salvo. Chances are Naruko will come directly to reestablish the village through the correct channels...and knowing her she might just take one of our more popular restaurants with her."


End file.
